By December and the Christmas machine is turning on. I am in a better headspace for December than I was last year, which was a good December but still a pandemic December, and this one has the quality of the real thing restored: there are people in stores, there are Christmas lights on houses in my neighborhood, and I can go see my grandmother without sitting six feet apart in a lawn chair.
I started the Christmas cookie project this week — earlier than last year, which means more time to be deliberate. The stand mixer for the kolaczki dough, chilled overnight, rolled thin. The Russian tea cakes, ground pecans, the powdered sugar coating that gets everywhere. The gingerbread, which this year I am making with a slightly different spice ratio that Patty suggested and that I am trying on faith. She is right about spices. She is usually right about things. I am getting better at acknowledging this.
Ryan Christmas present research has been underway for three weeks and I have found the thing. I am not saying what it is because this blog is where I document the year and future me will know, but current me is pleased with the find. He is going to like it. He always likes things that are specific to who he is rather than generic-nice, and I have been paying enough attention for three years to know exactly what fits that description.
Four weeks until January. The prenatal vitamins have been in the cabinet for three months. I feel ready in the way that readiness is also just another word for committed. Ryan feels it too — I can tell by the water glass refilling and the way he does not comment on the parenting books on my nightstand and the way he looks at me sometimes with the specific expression of someone who is also ready and also nervous and also sure. We are both sure. That is the word. That is the only word that matters.
With the kolaczki dough chilled and the Russian tea cakes already coated in their first round of powdered sugar, I always want one more cookie on the tray — something simple and honest that doesn’t ask much of me but still earns its spot. Oatmeal Crispies are that cookie. They come together fast, they stack well, and there is something about the thin, golden crunch of them that feels exactly right for this time of year when everything else is already a little extra. These are the ones I make when I want to feel productive without making another project out of it.
Oatmeal Crispies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined.
- Stir in oats. Add the quick-cooking oats (and nuts, if using) and stir until evenly incorporated. The dough will be thick.
- Portion dough. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon — these spread thin, so give them room.
- Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look just set. They will crisp up as they cool.
- Cool. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing or stacking.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 75mg