Hello! Welcome to my recipe for homemade oatmeal cookies. This recipe is perfect for those wanting an introduction recipe for baking, or just wish to make some great cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine or butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups whole grain oats

Optional Ingredients (amount to your liking):

Chopped nuts

Raisins

Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Step 1: Cream the Butter or Margarine and Sugars

Before you start preparing your cookies, place your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat your oven to 375°F

In a bowl, place 1 cup of softened margarine or butter, as well as 1 cup of both granulated and brown sugar. Blend the ingredients until smooth, so there aren't streaks of margarine or butter.

Step 2: Beat in Eggs and Vanilla

The next step is to beat in 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar. Keep mixing the ingredients until smooth.

Step 3: Mix in Dry Ingredients

Now, measure and mix your dry ingredients into your bowl. This is 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.

*You may choose to measure these ingredients out into a separate bowl.*

You may also choose to add the optional ingredients of nuts and raisins. For this batch, I chose to add sunflower seeds and raisins.

Blend everything together until the mixture starts to look uniform.

Step 4: Prepare Your Mixture for Baking

For this step, I chose to line my baking sheets with parchment paper. Not only does it makes getting the cookies off of the pan easier, it also allows for easier clean up.

Place approximately 10-12 1 1/2 inch balls of dough onto the baking sheets. Slightly flatten with a spoon before baking (picture for reference).

Step 5: Bake for 8-10 Minutes

Once the cookies are in the oven, set a timer for 8 minutes. Depending on the size of cookies, they may need more than 8 minutes to cook.

You'll want to take the cookies out before they look completely done, as they will continue to cook and harden after coming out of the oven. Don't forget to take the cookies off of the baking sheet, or you will end up with hard bottoms.