Nancy's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

- April 2022

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(From long ago Quaker Oats packaging)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

3 cups oats (I use quick oats and use more than 3 cups, about 4 to 4 ½ cups)

1 cup raisins (for Butterscotch version substitute 1 cup butterscotch chips, about half a 11 oz. bag)

Oven 350° bake for 10-12 minutes

Beat together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, then beat well.  Combine dry ingredients, mix into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins.  Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets, and bake in 350° oven for 10-12 minutes

2/11/26 added few oz. of sesame seeds: great!  next time add like 1/4 or 1/3 C

Temp was 390f Convection and that probably still wasn’t enuf

only 1C white sugar, no brown

did bit too much butterscotch chips again

7/28/22 same as below, but split into 2 halves and put 1/2C butterscotch in one, and 1/2C big raisins in other.  

Used Bobs Redmill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

-took closer to 20min to bake them, boosted it to 375 on convection

4/24/22 made the above batch, with these variations

1.5C white suger instead of 2/3 brown

all Whole wheat

9/8 C of butterscotch chips, which seemed a bit toomuch

a small fistfull is right size per cookie, larger ones spread out too much

• I want to learn about the health and nutrition tradeoffs in various kinds of oats. Create a table comparing steel-cut oats, rolled oats, quick oats, and discuss whether they require cooking or baking, and what happens to nutrition when they are cooked in different ways.

• Raw/No-Bake: Most commercial oats are pre-steamed, making them safe to eat dry or in no-bake snacks. However, eating them completely dry may cause bloating or digestive discomfort unless paired with fluids.
• Soaking (Overnight Oats): This is a middle ground that softens the grain without heat. Soaking can increase resistant starch, which acts as a prebiotic and helps maintain a lower GI compared to cooked versions.
• Baking: Using oats in baked goods like muffins or bread provides the same basic nutrients but may slightly alter the digestibility of the starch. 

• Microwaving vs. Stovetop: Microwave cooking is often better for nutrient retention because the shorter cooking time and minimal water use prevent water-soluble vitamins (like B vitamins) from leaching out.
• Overcooking: The longer and "mushier" you cook oats, the more the starch structure breaks down. This increases the surface area for digestive enzymes, which can raise the glycemic response.
• Heat-Labile Nutrients: High-heat methods (like long boiling) can destroy small amounts of heat-sensitive antioxidants and vitamins.