First Snow, A Day Off, and Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

It snowed today, and it isn't even November yet.  If that is a sign of what is to come this winter in Iowa, my 20 mile commute won't be much fun.  But if it had to snow, today was the day for it.  Someone in human resources sent me a dire warning the other day that if I didn't use my unused vacation time from last year, I was going to lose it and never get it back again.  Since Tehya didn't have school today, and none of the kids have school tomorrow, I went a little crazy and took both days off of work.

And then from home I checked my email at least a dozen times to make sure everything was going ok without me.  I'm ridiculous like that.

Anyway, I didn't have to go out in the cold and wet.  Instead, I got the joy of watching it through the windows with a 5 year old who thinks snow is magic.  

And I cleaned out closets.  And I washed sheets.  And I found the two pairs of snow boots I couldn't find for last winter so had to buy two new pair.  But best, I baked cookies that were still warm when the boys got off the bus.  My kind of day off!

It's been forever since I made oatmeal cookies.  They aren't the kind my family usually requests.  But today seemed to call for something old-fashioned and comforting.  This recipe doesn't take 48 hours in the fridge with finely shaved dark chocolate and two types of flour.  It doesn't involve shaping or rolling or using any kind of fancy press.  They might not even knock you naked.  But they will disappear quickly, and they will hit the spot on a cold day when you feel like doing a little nurturing.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

1 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs (or 4 bantam-sized eggs, if you're like us)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. old-fashioned oats
11 oz bag of butterscotch chips (minus about a quarter of an ounce due to taste testing)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Add the dry ingredients, mixing until they are incorporated.  Stir in butterscotch chips.  At this point, I would recommend you put the dough in the refrigerator for a while to firm it up so your cookies don't spread as much.  If you can't wait, then of course you should scoop them up and put them on cookie sheets.  I used a large cookie scoop because who doesn't like large cookies?  The larger size also means each cookie is thicker and spreads less.  

Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are browned.  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan, then do what my husband's Grandma Josie recommended and place them on a newspaper to cool completely.  Maybe Grandma Josie, who raised a dozen children through the Great Depression, didn't have a cookie rack and that's why she recommended newspaper.  I like to use them because it absorbs some of the excess oil and therefore these particular cookies approach health food status.  

Grandma Josie also handed down this gem about not greasing cookie sheets before using them...."A cookie that can't grease its own butt isn't worth making."  And I'll leave you with that little bit of unconventional wisdom.  Enjoy!