Description
Classic and hearty Lunch Lady Oatmeal Cookies with a perfect blend of spices. These cookies combine the rich flavors of butter and shortening with brown sugar and cinnamon, delivering a chewy, spiced oatmeal treat that’s great for lunchboxes or snacks.
Ingredients
Scale
Fats & Sugars
- 14 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1¼ cups Crisco shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 cups old fashioned oatmeal
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Shortening: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and Crisco shortening until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Sugars: Add the granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar to the creamed fats and mix for about 1 minute to incorporate well and add sweetness and moisture.
- Incorporate Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each to ensure even distribution. Then add the vanilla extract for flavor.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg separately; then add this mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Mix in Oatmeal: Add the old fashioned oatmeal to the dough and gently mix until well incorporated, giving the cookies their classic hearty texture.
- Scoop Dough: Using a medium cookie scoop, portion out dough evenly onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them to allow spreading during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes. Keep a close eye to avoid overbaking; the cookies should be golden and slightly soft in the center.
- Cool Cookies: Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not overbake the cookies as they will continue to cook slightly on the hot baking sheet.
- Using a medium cookie scoop helps ensure uniform cookie size and even baking.
- Old fashioned oatmeal provides the best texture; quick oats will result in softer cookies.
- Butter and shortening together balance flavor and texture, but butter alone can be substituted for a richer taste.
