Laissez Le Bonne Lait Affluez

My best friend is a picky eater. She abhors one of my favorite local restaurants and adores one that I fondly despise. She’s the kind of person who passionately defends “the best” dessert in Shelby and spends 15 minutes critiquing the vices and virtues of various steakhouses in Charlotte. She has a personal vendetta against HFCs and complex theories about the texture of sushi.

I love her, but she’s a picky eater.

She also pronounces “salmon” funny. She’s cute that way.

Still, she’s a picky eater. Which is why I expected to duck and cover when I offered her an oatmeal raisin cookie made from one of my favorite recipes. Especially when she casually mentioned that she’s not a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies—after accepting it.

Clearly, we can’t all be perfect.

But she comes close. Mostly because she enjoys this recipe as much as I do.

You’ll need butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, oats, raisins, and sliced almonds.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring after each addition until well blended.

 

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then slowly add these dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.

Stir in the oats, raisins and almonds—again, slowly. With these ingredients, your dough really starts to bulk up and will give your mixer a considerable workout. Lock it into position so that it doesn’t “bounce” excessively, or finish mixing the rest by hand.

Which is what I did.

It’s the most exercise my arms are going to get this holiday season and I’m too in love with cardigans to care otherwise.

It’s pathetic, but true.

With your dough completely mixed, spoon it onto an ungreased baking sheet. 

If you’re like my best friend, you’ll portion the dough out appropriately and get 36 cookies out of the batch. If you’re like me, “portion” is a dirty word and it's best not to count how many cookies you bake because numbers will only add to the guilt you feel when they’re gone in 24 hours.

It’s pathetic, but true.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. For a softer cookie, pull them out just as the edges are starting to turn golden brown. They’re best served warm, right out of the oven.

Delicious.

Even better, the oatmeal and almonds are lactogenic—they’ll increase a nursing mother’s milk supply if consumed regularly. As a new mother, this clearly gives me the right to horde the entire batch myself.

Right?

Whether you’re a new mom like me, or a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies—try these. You’ll thank me for it.

Recipe: My Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Inspired by eHow’s “How to Make Lactation Cookies”

Prep Time: 10 minutes · Bake Time: 10-12 minutes · Servings: Up to 36

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups Oats
• 1 cup Raisins
• ½ cup Sliced Almonds

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375°.

Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix well. Slowly stir in the oats, raisins, and almonds.

Drop cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Serve warm. Share only if compelled.