Remembering my great-grandparents in the form of oatmeal raisin cookies

By Tatum Lindquist The Daily

Art by Milo Nguyen

As someone who regularly consumes oats in any and all forms, it’s no surprise I recently spent a sweltering afternoon in our sunlit kitchen making batches of delicious oatmeal raisin cookies, filling an otherwise empty day in quarantine.

Whether I am dancing to Lizzo as I mix the dry ingredients or playing Sushi Go with my family while the cookies are in the oven, baking has turned into a newfound creative avenue for me. Though it also pacifies my quarantine boredom, my favorite part of baking will always be licking the potentially dangerous raw oatmeal raisin cookie dough stuck to the spatula.

Controversial cookie choice, I know, but I first decided to bake oatmeal raisin cookies because they reminded me of the summers I spent at my great-grandparents’ house growing up. My brother and I typically spent summers visiting their white house, a quaint home built by my great-grandpa in the 50s tucked in a rolling green pasture. We’d crowd the kitchen counter in the two breakfast stools, swiveling to and fro as my great-grandma got out all the ingredients. I remember my great-grandma showing me how to level measuring cups with a knife and wearing one of her hand-sewn aprons, which in no way fit me as a kid. We’d play cards and talk as we waited for the cookies to bake, and with 30 seconds and no patience left, I’d cozy up next to the oven with the light on to watch our hard work rise into soft pillows of yumminess.

With the passing of my great-grandpa last autumn and the public health necessity to stay home, this past summer felt especially isolating. However, by preheating the oven and folding raisins and oats into cookie dough, I can relive those summers while stuck at home in quarantine.

Since it’s not safe to visit and connect with my great-grandma in person, my blossoming baking hobby has filled me with the same energy and warmth that I remember from her kitchen. Through the process, I have learned to find the joy that comes in the form of warm, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, filling these past endless summer days.

Over time, the oatmeal raisin cookies gave way to crêpes, chicken pot pie, or the next Instagram cooking challenge for my siblings and I to bond over. Before, I rarely baked, and only because I desired the delicious end result. But now, with an abundance of free time and a desire to connect with my great-grandma, baking has filled the isolation in my heart and stomach with warm, loving goodness.

Ingredients

¾ cup butter, softened

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 ¾ cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and both white and brown-sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3) Gradually beat the dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins.

4) Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

6) Let cookies cool slightly on the sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cook completely.

Reach writer Tatum Lindquist at pacificwave@dailyuw.com.Twitter: @TatumLindquist.