Mother’s Best Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted Mother’s Best flour\*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup soft shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (card printed 1 cup; changed by hand to 1/2)
• 2 unbeaten eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups rolled oats, regular or quick-cooking (uncooked)

Steps

1. Turn on oven; set at moderate (375). Grease lightly 2 large cooky sheets.
2. Sift together onto a piece of paper the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Put shortening into a 3-quart (or larger) bowl.
4. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar gradually, mixing until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in eggs well, one at a time.
6. Stir in vanilla and milk.
7. Add 1/2 of flour mixture at a time. Mix well after each addition.
8. Then mix in rolled oats.
9. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cooky sheets. Bake on top rack of oven for 12 minutes or until brown.

Notes

Printed MOTHER’S BEST flour clipping glued to the left half of the card; the right half has handwritten Anna Scott’s Oatmeal Cookies.

Granulated sugar: printed ‘1 cup’ struck out and ‘½’ handwritten.

Makes about ?5 dozen 2½-inch cookies (leading digit hidden by fold).

\*If you use MOTHER’S BEST Self-Rising Flour, use only ½ teaspoon \[baking soda\] and omit baking powder and salt.

From a printed recipe (Mother’s Best Flour) kept in Rosie Lee’s recipe box.

Part of the card is cut off or missing: Clipping’s left edge cuts the step numbers 3 and 5–9 slightly (readable). Bottom-left corner folded over hides ‘\[Ba\]ke’, the yield digit, and the start of the footnote.

Photo: stock photo found online.

Rosie Lee’s original recipe card

Tap the card to see it full size.