Thick, chewy oatmeal cookies

Moving day is fast approaching, and I find myself in a constant tug-of-war between being sad to leave my wonderful life and friends in Seattle, excited to be closer to friends and family on the east coast, ready for a new adventure, and terrified of what's to come. Rather than focusing on any of those, I have been trying to enjoy my last bit of time in the Pacific Northwest, and that includes as much outdoor time as possible. These oatmeal cookies fed many hungry mouths up at Lake Serene. Only thing I would change would be to double this recipe (since it is only a half-recipe).

Funny aside - the day I made these, so did my friend, Lakshmi. Great minds think alike! (Except hers had ice cream in the middle. Lucky!)

Thick, chewy oatmeal cookies
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

Chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.