Oatmeal Rollout Cookies

December in full swing and I am baking something every few days, which is exactly the kind of productivity that makes winter feel worthwhile. This week: gingerbread — a full batch of rolled and cut cookies using my grandmother rolled gingerbread recipe, which is different from molasses-heavy gingerbread in that it uses sour cream and is a little softer, a little less aggressive. I made two dozen stars and trees and bells and one gingerbread fire truck, which I made for Ryan who did not ask for it but who put it on the firehouse station kitchen counter when he brought cookies in for his crew. Apparently the guys appreciated it. This is secondhand information. I am choosing to believe it wholeheartedly.

Ryan shift schedule in December is brutal — the holidays are always busy at the firehouse — and there are weeks like this one where I see him for a combined eight hours over seven days. I have gotten used to the rhythm but I have not gotten used to missing him, which is fine. You should not get used to missing the person you love. I batch-cook on Sundays so there is always food in the fridge for when he comes home at whatever hour. I leave notes in the fridge. He saves the notes. I know because I have seen them in the drawer by the bed.

Wedding planning: the invitations are being ordered. Patty found a design and sent it to me and Kristin for approval and we both approved it immediately, which seemed to surprise her. She sent a follow-up email asking if we were sure. We were sure. The invitation is simple and elegant and has our names and the date and that is all it needs.

The blog this week is the gingerbread cookies with a note about the gingerbread fire truck, which Ryan has officially vetoed as blog content and which I have included anyway because it is my blog and it is a very good fire truck. We have agreed to disagree.

The gingerbread fire truck was a one-of-a-kind creation, but the base recipe I reach for when I want a rolled cutout cookie that actually holds its shape — without turning into a brick — is this one: oatmeal rollout cookies, soft enough to still feel like a treat, sturdy enough to survive a trip to the firehouse. I’ve made these alongside my grandmother’s sour cream gingerbread for years, and they always disappear at the same rate. If you’re baking for a crew this December, double the batch — trust me on this.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 35 min (plus 1 hr chill time) | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Mix the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
Chill the dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight). Cold dough rolls more cleanly and holds cutout shapes better.
Preheat and prep. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters — stars, trees, bells, or fire trucks — and transfer carefully to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Do not overbake; centers should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven.
Cool and decorate. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating with icing or leaving plain.

Nutrition (per serving)

Oatmeal Rollout Cookies — The Batch I Made While Missing Ryan