Freezer Cookies

These oatmeal cookies are one of our favorites, but like most deserts, there is just too much for the two of us to (reasonably) eat before it gets stale.  And I really like cookies best when they are just out of the oven.  So, when I make these, I only cook one or two dozen, the rest are put on foil and popped in the freezer.  When you are ready for cookies again, you just bake another 6 cookies.. perfect weeknight desert for two.  The recipe is the one the used to be oatmeal box, modified for “trans-fat free” cooking:  the shortening has been replaced with butter plus canola oil.

The Gadget:  Toaster Oven.  My toaster oven is used for a long list of things: it includes warming up a piece of pizza, toasting nuts (generally one toast cycle is perfect), baking potatoes (start in the microwave then go into the toaster, and you have a perfectly baked potato in 15 minutes), cooking quesadilla’s (use broil setting), warming bread (wrap in foil), and once in a while, making toast.  Below are the instructions for doing freezer cookies, later on I will post my other favorite toaster oven dessert – fruit crisps!

Oatmeal Cookies

ABOUT 4 DOZEN

½ cup butter

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup brown sugar, unpacked

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 cups oats (quick cooking or regular)

1 cup raisins  

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts 

Spray cookie sheets with Pam (or use parchment paper), and heat oven to 350oF.

Cream butter, oil, and sugars, then beat in egg.  Add water and vanilla, beat some more.  Add flour and baking soda, mix on low until blended.  Add oats, raisins, chips, nuts, stir together with a wooden spoon.

Drop onto cookie sheets, bake about 12 minutes or until just starting to brown.

For Freezing:  tear off sheets of foil slightly larger than the tray for your toaster oven.  Spray with Pam.  Drop 6 cookies on foil, and gently wrap foil around the dough (fold the sides in to get a couple of tubes, crimp the ends a bit), then put the rolls into a gallon freezer bag (you should be able to get about 3 per bag).  When you are ready to eat, gently unwrap, put on the tray for the toaster oven, and cook.  Use 12 minutes at 350F as a starting guide, but keep an eye on them (they are best when a little undercooked in my opinion).  For my current oven, I need to bake at 325F.