Last week in the middle of all the insanity, I was craving these Oatmeal Pecan Cookies. These past few weeks have been a blur. Not that my life isn't always busy, but truly... I'm so tired of going somewhere all the time. Other than quick runs to our small town to buy milk or delivery cakes, I'm normally a (quite content) homebody.
But not lately. Every time I turn around we have to drive the near 40 miles to one of the three larger towns around here to get vaccinations, to get Christian's arm checked (again and again), to do pre-surgery for the other surgery he had, or for dentist appointments. And I'm sick of it. Just let me stay home... puleeeeesse.
Since I was craving the Oatmeal Pecan Cookies, I decided to do something CrAzY. You wanna know what it was? I baked something that was not for somebody else. Yep, you heard me. I baked for ME.
Okay, so that's not all that crazy, but it felt really indulgent considering that I feel like I never, ever bake just because I want to. And especially not something I can eat all by myself.
Yes, you heard me right. I baked them just. for. me. Yes, yes I did.
And they were just what I needed to sooth my tattered emotions. I have been so exhausted - mentally, emotionally & physically - and I just wanted some comfort food.
Do cookies make you feel better? They sure make me feel better! I ate way more than my fair share and I was definitely a little more happy afterwards! 😉
So why Oatmeal Pecan Cookies? I'm not sure. Without a doubt, Chocolate Chip Cookies are my most favorite cookie, but these Oatmeal Pecan Cookies are also at the top of my cookie list and they were just what I needed at the time.
They're actually best when they're right out of the oven - warm and chewy and so full of texture and deliciousness. But if you can't eat them all at once (like me ... ahem!), then store them in an airtight container to keep them soft. Or if you like a crunchy cookie, then by all means leave them out and they'll get a good crunch to them!
When I first made these a few years ago, I used a recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook (I love me some Pioneer Woman cookbooks!!) - she calls them Oatmeal Crispies and they are fantastic!! But the more I made them, the more I changed things. I tweaked the ingredients only a tiny bit, but mostly I just got lazy and started skipping steps.
In the original recipe, she uses three (or four?) bowls. She makes the dough, divides it in half, wraps it in wax paper then chills it. When she's ready to use it, she slices and bakes them.
Well.... one day when I was craving these, I'll admit it... I didn't want to wait. I didn't want to mess up any more bowls than absolutely necessary. I didn't want to chill and slice. I didn't want to use any self restraint. So I grabbed my favorite cookie scoop, skipped a few steps and baked some cookies!
And you know what... they turned out just fine! In fact, better than fine... I think I might have liked them better because they were big and soft and chewy. And fast. Ha! When this girl craves a cookie - she wants it now!!
Anywho... so here's my adapted & printable recipe. These cookies are absolutely fantastic and I hope you'll love them as much as I do!!
What food brings you comfort?
PrintRecipe
Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 36 (3") cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz shortening (~ ½ cup)**
- ½ cup butter ( 1 stick), softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or... I scraped vanilla seeds from 3 beans)
- 2 large eggs
- 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3 cups Quick Oats
- ¾ cup Finely Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together the shortening, butter and sugars until smooth.
- Add the eggs while mixing, then the vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix thoroughly. No I don't sift it all together - no, I don't do it in a separate bowl. I just dump it all into my Kitchenaid with a SideSwipe Paddle. It works beautifully!
- Last, add the oats and nuts; mix just until incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. You can skip the parchment if you want to - but this goes back to me being lazy... no pan to wash! I really like the 3 Tbsp. size scoop.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly (so they don't fall apart when you pick them up)... but not too much... they are extra delicious warm out of the oven!! They have a tiny crispy edge but they're soft and chewy with loads of texture! Perfection, I tell ya!
- **You can substitute ½ cup of butter for the shortening for a total of 1 cup of butter.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Do you love cookies? Check out more of my favorite cookie recipes here:
Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Cookies with Biscoff Cookie Butter Filling
Joanne
Last week I made soft chocolate chip cookies for a treat for friends and they requested oatmeal for this weeks treat-so I made them earlier today. Mine have a tsp of cinnamon in each batch and raisins. My boxers don't know what it is to eat dog biscuits- I make butter cookies for them! Great minds think alike! Those chocolate ones look really good! Going to have to give those a try. Thanks again for sharing!
Grandmas House DIY
I know exactly what you mean, once last year I made some cookies that I had been craving just for me and it felt like I was being so naughty lol I'm going to have to try these, pinning to my Recipes board! The Wednesday "To Grandma's House We Go" link party just started over at grandmashousediy.com and I thought you might be interested in joining it, thanks!
TJ
Can I use regulat oatmeal instead of quick oats?
Rose
Yes, but the texture might be a little different.
Cindy
Great recipe. The only problem I had was the cookies got flat. I added 1/4 Cup more flour and the rest turned out fine. I could have probably just chilled the dough before baking and that would have solved my problem. Yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Stacey
Can you use steel cut oats?
Rose Atwater
Yes!