An Early Lesson Not Lost . . . . The Right Sticky

As a child, I always made my Gramma Klein’s oatmeal cookies with her whenever she came to visit. There was (and is) no one as special as Gramma Klein—and there is no more marvelous an oatmeal cookie as hers. Huge, heavy and dense, loaded with raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts—that’s how I remember them—that’s how I make them (mostly).

She would tell me, “D, you know just the right sticky. Other people don’t, you know. I try to get them to get it,” rubbing her fingers together with some exasperation, “but I can’t—it’s something that can’t be measured. You just have to know.”

It wasn’t until I opened my cookie biz, making cookies 24/7, that I really understood, really “felt” what she was saying. I have always contended that it takes three times making a new cookie recipe for it to come out right. That’s because you have to get to know a cookie’s dough. Much like making bread, weather conditions greatly affects a cookie’s final outcome, and here in the Northeast, those conditions change constantly. But I have heard it said that a homemade cookie tastes so good ‘cause it’s made with love; but maybe it tastes so good because it was made with just the right sticky!

I am sorry that I cannot leave you with my Gramma Klein’s Oatmeal cookie recipe (it’s a trade secret).  However, I will leave you with a hint--allow your oatmeal dough to sit a half hour before scooping out to bake. This gives the oats time to absorb all the wet ingredients and eggs. If the dough feels any more than slightly sticky—add some extra oats in lieu of extra flour.          Happy cookies!