12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 4

Okay, this is for the birds. Or perhaps I should say: this is four the calling birds?!?!

No? Okay, okay–I’ll stick to the baking.

Today’s cookie is an iced oatmeal cookie. Perfect for those people who love to pick the raisins out of their oatmeal raisin cookies. And I have to admit that since finding these a few Christmas baking seasons ago, I prefer my oatmeal cookies with icing and sans raisins.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 cups old-fashioned (not instant) oats
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon unsulphured dark molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Icing

• 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ – 2 Tbsp milk
• Food coloring (optional)

Instructions

I know it may sound a bit crazy, but first put the oats in a food processor and pulse several times until you have a range of coarseness in the oats.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the pulsed oats and stir until well mixed. Set aside.

In a large bowl or a stand mixer bowl beat the butter and sugars together until creamed. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add oat/flour mixture. Continue mixing until dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Scoop 1 Tbsp of dough, roll into a ball, and space evenly on the baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned on the sides and centers will look very soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.

To make the icing: sift confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of milk, and, if using, a couple of drops of food coloring. Stir until mixed and slowly continue adding milk until just enough to make a very thick icing (the thicker the icing, the better it will set), adjusting the color if necessary. Lightly dip the tops of the cookies into the icing. Icing will set after a few hours.

fa la la la la!

And in case you missed it:

12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 1 Salty Scotches

12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 2 Holiday Mint Chocolate Kisses

12 Cookies of Christmas, Day 3 ANZAC Bikkies

originally adapted from Sally’s Baking Addition