Just Right Sweet

On this warm summer day, I thought I would give you another little trip to my grandmother's kitchen. When it came to sweets, she had a set repertoire, banana bread, the best muffins that were made with cream of wheat and her oatmeal cookies. She loved sweets, but she didn't want them to be too sweet. Come mid-afternoon, she would make the two of us a cup of tea and we would sit down and enjoy it with a couple of oatmeal cookies. The cookies are not the soft, gooey sweet cookies that we have become more accustomed to, they are much more of a tea cookie, rather crunchy and perfect for dunking.  

Elvera's Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
2 cups of oatmeal
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat well between each.
Whisk soda into buttermilk. This is very important. A bit of a chemical reaction will happen between the baking soda and the buttermilk that will aide in the baking of the cookies.
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time.
Stir in oats, raisins, chopped pecans, spices and mix well.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop on cookie sheet by the teaspoonful.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

As I made up the cookies today, I thought about the addition of cloves. It is a little unusual for oatmeal cookies, but a taste I love. As I thought about it, I remembered that her purse always smelled of cloves as she loved Clove Chewing Gum.
                 
Her house always had the loveliest smell. When she died, I inherited a set of bedroom furniture. Under each drawer I found cloves and realized that this was her secret to a sweet smelling home.
If you enjoy a crunchy cookie that's not to sweet, I think you'll enjoy my grandmother's oatmeal cookies. If you are a runner or a cyclist, they are a great take along pick me up treat as they travel very well.
Enjoy!
Rhonda