I've never been to Cape Cod, but I've made these cookies a time or two! They're called Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies, and there's something about them that appeals to the lazy baker/cleaner in me.
Fanny Farmer Recipe
The recipe originated from one of the early Fanny Farmer cookbooks, but variations have been circulating for decades. The common ingredients are 1 ½ cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of molasses and some milk, but the amount of fat varies. Some recipes call for ½ cup of melted butter and others have ½ cup melted butter plus ½ cup melted shortening. This week I tried the butter and shortening version. I had high hopes for it since shortening sometimes improves texture, but the cookies spread too much and feathered around the edges. So maybe the original recipe worked better with older shortening formulations, but I had to adjust it.
Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookie Changes
So my change, after testing a version with half cup of melted butter and a half cup of melted shortening, was to use ¾ cup melted butter plus a tablespoon of olive oil. That worked really well. The cookies spread just right and had crispy edges, thanks to the oil. I also chilled the dough and made the cookies a bit larger. Here are some 1 ½ oz pieces of dough.
Butter and Oil Combo
So these new cookies are a lot like the Big Chewy Oatmeal Cookies, but a little richer and maybe less sweet since they have more butter to buffer the sugar. They're as good as the Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Cookies, which I also like because it's just a basic stir-together oatmeal cookie recipe that doesn't require creaming.
Toasting Walnuts
Oh, Lazy Baker checking in with one more note. I rarely toast walnuts for cookies. I used to think it was mandatory because toasted nuts taste better, but walnuts are the exception. In cookies, exposed pieces toast right along with the dough in the oven. Pre-roasting/toasting can slightly increase bitterness. So if you do like that extra bitterness or prefer toasted walnuts, go for it. If not, don't feel like you are skipping an important step if you choose not to toast.
Recipe
Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (200 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 ¾ cups oats (140 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon molasses (20 grams)
- ¼ cup milk (60 grams)
- 1 ½ sticks salted butter, melted and cooled (170 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or another vegetable oil
- ½ cup raisins or chopped dried cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts, toast or leave untoasted
- ⅓ cup mini white chips or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets or baking sheets lined with parchment.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt so that everything is evenly mixed. Add the sugar and oats and stir again.
- Make a big well in the mixture and add the egg, molasses and milk. Mix the ingredients together in the well, then pour in the cooled melted butter and oil.
- Stir everything together, adding the dried fruit and nuts as you stir.
- Scoop the dough by teaspoons (or use a small cookie scoop) onto prepared baking sheets or use a medium size cookie scoop and scoop out larger pieces. Bake right away or chill the pre-scooped dough on plates lined with plastic wrap. Cover so the dough doesn't dry out.
- For the small cookies, bake for 12 minutes (but check at 10). Let cool on baking sheets for about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling. Larger (1 ½ oz size) cookies should take about 15 minutes with the cold dough. As always, keep an eye on the cookies.
Sue K says
These turned out great. I was a little worried that the dough was too soft but gave it a few more stirs and it was fine.
I like that they’re not too sweet.
I totally agree with you about not toasting walnuts!
Anna says
Well I am excited to hear what you think. I have too many oatmeal cookie recipes, but these are kind of special in that the recipe is so old and well-loved. That, plus they are relaxing to make.
Sue K says
I am excited to try these! They look and sound delicious!!