Starting at the age of seven, every summer my parent’s would ship me off to Kansas for some time with the Grandparents. When I was younger, the stays were relatively short, a week or two. But as I got older, I stayed longer and longer. Four weeks, six weeks or more. I loved spending the summer with my cousins. Daily trips to the pool? Yes! Dress up with Grandma’s make up and jewelry (and sometimes her nighties)? Why not. Having co-conspirators in general mischief? Excellent!

Plus, she had the cookies.

In all the time I was there, I only saw her make these cookies once. Yet, somehow, there were always cookies to be had. It was some kind of Grandma magic I’m sure.

I think that one of the secrets to the tastiness of these cookies is that the raisins are ground. The one time that I saw her make them, she used an old school hand crank meat grinder (that I really hope was not also used for meat) to accomplish the task. These days, however, she uses a food processor.

The other secret is that they are kept in the freezer. Yes, the freezer. These cookies are best consumed about 45 seconds out of the freezer (too soon and they are too hard). It’s hard to explain why though. Maybe it’s just more Grandma magic.

Here’s the ingredients.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Put the oatmeal in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse for ten 1-second bursts, then add the nuts.

Pulse 5 more times. Remove the mixture from the food processor and set aside.

Add the raisins to the now empty bowl of the food processor (don’t bother washing it) and grind them into a paste. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.

Add the ground raisins.

And mix until they are incorporated

Add the eggs and vanilla.

And mix until they are incorporated

Add the flour mixture and mix until it is combined.

Lastly, add the oatmeal and nuts and mix until combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. I used a scoop because it makes things easier. Your cooking time may need to be adjusted depending on the size of the scoop.

Cookies will spread, so leave plenty of room around them. Bake for 12-13 minutes (with the size of my scoop, I needed the full 13 minutes).

Seriously, make sure there is enough room around the cookies.

Let cool for a few moments, then move to a rack to cool completely.

Whisk together the powdered sugar and vanilla, then the milk, a bit at a time, until it is  a good consistency for drizzling.

Drizzle the cookies with the glaze and let them set until it hardens. There may not be enough glaze for all the cookies. That’s fine, they’re still good.

For best flavor and texture, store the cookies in the freezer. They will still be plenty tasty if you do not heed my advice (and the advice of generations before me) but really, try them frozen, perhaps with a glass of milk.

xxx

GRANDMA ISERN’S OATMEAL COOKIES
makes 3 dozen

I only know these as my grandmother’s cookies, but I’ve been told that the recipe originated with my Great Grandmother Meta Isern. My mom told me that she sent a batch of them along when my parents let for their honeymoon (which they found funny, but then thoroughly enjoyed). I used golden raisins because that it all that I had, but Grandma uses regular raisins. Use what you like or have.

For the cookies:
2 cups (10 ounces) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups (7 ounces) oatmeal
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped nuts
1 cup (6 ounces) raisins
2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, softened
1 cup (7 ounces) white sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a food processor, grind the oatmeal using ten 1-second pulses. Add nuts and pulse 5 more times. Remove from food processor and set aside.

Add the raisins to the now empty bowl of the food processor and grind them into a paste. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the ground raisins and mix until they are incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until they are incorporated. Add the flour mixture and blend until combined. Lastly, add the oatmeal and nuts and mix until combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Cookies will spread, so leave plenty of room around them. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let cool for a few moments, then move to a rack to cool completely.

Whisk together the powdered sugar and vanilla, then the milk, a bit at a time, until it is  a good consistency for drizzling. Drizzle the cookies with the glaze and let them set until it hardens.