Food Friday: Cookies! Oatmeal Cookies!

This is your official two weeks’ notice that April 30 is National Oatmeal Cookie Day.

Most of the oats grown on Virginia farms are used for animal feed, but there are no shortage of human Virginia cooks who bake oatmeal cookies. There’s a classic oatmeal cookie recipe at eatmoreoats.com, and here’s a fancy version from Bring It to the Table, a cookbook compiled by women’s committees of county Farm Bureau’s in Southeast Virginia.

Oatmeal Cookies

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup  granulated sugar or sugar substitute

½ cup packed brown sugar or a blend of sugar substitute and brown sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup coconut

1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or mixed dried fruit bits

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Beat in egg and vanilla until combined, and then flour.

Stir in oats, coconut and fruit.

Drop by rounded teaspoons (or use a small cookie scoop) 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown and centers are set. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an air-tight container.

Makes about 48 small cookies.