Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I am not a big cookie eater.  I really don't have much of a sweet tooth, to be honest.  So, you know when I like a cookie, it must be pretty special.  I decided to make these iced oatmeal cookies only because of how pretty they are.  They almost look lacy with their bumpy tops and the shiny white glaze.  I figured they would be pretty and most likely delicious and my family would enjoy them.  I didn't foresee myself stuffed two in my own lunch box every morning, but that's exactly what I did!

The cookies themselves are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg; they are warm and sweet and spicy.  You also get the flavor of the oats, without the big chewy bites of them, because they are ground in a food processor (just like my mom's favorites, Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies).  The glaze is a simple mix of confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla, and the trip is to dunk the tops of the cookies into the glaze and pull them out quickly.  Unless you're a total frosting addict (aka Mom!), you don't want the glaze to fill all the little nooks and crannies; you just want to cover the majority of the top with some cookie still peeking through.  Then again, my mom helped to glaze them and hers were pretty uniformly white :)

Which one do you think is my mother's? :)

These would be great cookies around the holidays, which it's crazy to say are actually going to coming upon us quickly.  The month of September could not have crawled by any slower, but October is moving pretty quickly.  Put them on your baking list!

Recipe:

iced oatmeal cookies
from Annie's Eats
yields about 18 - 22 cookies

Ingredients:
for the dough:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectionary sugar
2 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Preheat the ven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor ad pulse until just coarsely ground, about 10 brief pulses.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

2) Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Alternately, you can make mini cookies using 1 teaspoon scoop portions.  Bake, rotating halfway through the baking time, just until set and light golden, about 10 minutes total.  Mini cookies will need a few minutes less.  Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3) To make the icing, combine the confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla.  Whisk to blend until smooth, adjusting the consistency as needed with additional milk or sugar so that you end up with a fairly thick glaze.  One cookie at a time, hold carefully by the edges and dip the top side of each cookie into the glaze, just enough to cover most of the top but not so much that it fills all the nooks and crannies.  Return to the cooling rack and let sit until the glaze is fully set.  Store in an airtight container.