Working late this week, we needed a chewy pick-me-up… and since dad likes oatmeal cookies as well, and was on the mend, there’s two great reasons to create a new cookie! Plus a ‘nod to our Florida friends, one of whom, this is her favourite cookie, from what I understand, the realization set in after they were in the oven. I think they use a mix though. We use organic ingredients where available, and local as well. Our last turkey dinner was a 17km dinner! My nephew Ian raised the turkey naturally, potatoes and carrots less than an hour old out of the garden, hard to beat that. Honey for the cookies is from dad’s beehives. I used to say my dad had hives, but it got misconstrued, and didn’t sound very appetizing, most people don’t know what an apiarist is, boxkeeper sounds like something at the supermarket, so beehives it is. See that picture… still warm from the oven, quite literally, the scent of cinnamon and cookie goodness still in the air.
Cream together in mixer:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup lard (makes it crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside)
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or other mild tasting oil)
beat well… then add:
1 1/2 cups cane sugar (or 1 cup white, 1/2 cup brown sugar)
beat well… then add:
2 tablespoons liquid honey
2 large eggs
beat well again.
In separate bowl combine:
2 cups light OR white spelt flour (whole spelt will be a much denser cookie)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
add to wet sugar butter mix… then add:
2 1/4 cups quick oats (not instant)
2 tablespoons (or more) pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon real rum or more (or 1 teaspoon clubhouse rum – grocery store baking isle)
1 cup chopped pecans (gave it a whirl or two in the mini food processor)
Scoop out using 2 tablespoons size scoop (each cookie is 2 tablespoons of dough) – Looks like an ice cream scoop but slightly smaller.
We put 6 to a sheet approx 2 1/2 inches apart on parchment
Flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand
(wet your hand under water first, and shake off the excess, then flatten cookies – as dough won’t stick to your hand when it’s damp)
Bake at 375°F for approx 6-8 minutes – keep watching them as each oven temp varies
remove from oven slide parchment onto the racks let cool for 2 min, then transfer to alternate wire racks off the parchment using a flat lifter to continue cooling.
Makes approx 24 gourmet sized cookies.
Variations:
Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips & 1/2 cup skor bits
Note: may use butter instead of lard making the total butter count to 1 cup
