No-Place-Like-Home Oatmeal Cookies

Dorothy had it right when she clicked her heels and wished her away out of Oz and back to her Kansas farm by repeating the mantra “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,  there’s no place like home…“

We are blessed with the gift of warm and cozy home and though I like to complain about doing mundane chores, I am rarely happier than when doing those routine tasks amidst the drone of domestic machinery and a background of football commentary on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

You can imagine then that there is a ripple in the time-space continuum when hubby is out of town especially on a weekend. Having the opportunity to go quail hunting with his buddies, he skedaddled on a Friday with plans to return on Sunday. In an attempt to express that he would be missed (and to remind him of what he would be missing), I made a batch of his favorite cookies for the long drive to his destination to be shared with his travel-mates.

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup raisins

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs, and mix well to the mixer, and then add flour mixture. Beat ingredients until just combined; do not over mix. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in raisins. Place cookie dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 350oF. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough using a tablespoon and place on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 3 inches apart. You can press the dough down with the back of a spoon to flatten into 2-inch diameters if you prefer flatter cookies.

Bake in the pre-heated oven until golden but still soft in center which should take about 16 to 18 minutes. Rotate the pans between oven shelves halfway through baking. When nicely browned, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. This recipe makes a manageable batch of about 2 dozen small cookies. My family is spoiled and prefers fresh cookies over those that have been frozen thus giving me an excuse to bake more often and them an excuse to stay home because, in the end, there really is no place like it.