Fannie Farmer's Oatmeal Cookies
Crisp, lightly sweetened rolled cookies from an 1896 classic — thin cream and fine oats give them a delicate, old-fashioned snap.
Ingredients
- 1 largeegg
- ¼ cupgranulated sugar
- ¼ cupheavy cream(or half-and-half for a lighter result)
- ¼ cupwhole milk
- ½ cupquick oats(pulse in a blender 5–6 times for a finer texture closer to Fannie's 'fine oatmeal')
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour(about 240 g)
- 2 tspbaking powder
- 1 tspfine sea salt
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 02
Pulse the ½ cup quick oats in a blender or food processor 5–6 times until they resemble coarse flour — not a powder, but no large flakes remain.
- 03
Whisk the 1 large egg in a large bowl until pale and slightly frothy, about 1 minute.
- 04
Add the ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, and ¼ cup whole milk to the egg; whisk until fully combined.
- 05
In a separate bowl, whisk together the blitzed oats, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp fine sea salt.
- 06
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms — it will be firm and slightly tacky.
- 07
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 4–5 times until it just comes together into a smooth, cohesive mass.
- 08
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll out to about ¼-inch (6 mm) thickness.
- 09
Cut into rounds or shapes with a 2½-inch cookie cutter, re-rolling scraps once. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- 10
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the tops look dry. Rotate the pans front-to-back at the 6-minute mark for even color.
- 11
Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely — they crisp up significantly as they cool.
Adapted from public domain & community sources