Two of these will give your child approximately 7 percent or 8 percent of the day's requirement of fiber.
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 generous cups "quick" rolled oats
1 1/4 cups raisins
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. While it's melting, set the oven racks at the top and lower middle positions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover your cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
With an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and melted butter for several minutes until light and somewhat fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the batter and beat briefly until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter, then the oats and raisins. Beat until just combined.
Using a generous tablespoonful for each cookie, place batter on parchment-covered cookie sheets, doing no more than 8 or 9 cookies per sheet. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes total, rotating cookie sheets between racks halfway through baking time. Cookies are done when they have puffed and spread slightly, and are golden brown at the edges but still pale and undercooked-looking in the center. Do not overbake, as cookies will continue to cook on the cookie sheets out of the oven.
Remove from heat and allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets, then remove to cool fully on wire racks. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies.
--Catherine S. Vodrey
Thursday, May 11, 2000
