My friend Margaret, who is also a Kitchen Wizard in my opinion, kindly shared her cookie shortcuts.

So here it is…  Thank you, Margaret!

One of the tougher things to do during a busy week is to bake, so I  always have a reserve of this spiced oatmeal cookie dough in my freezer to satisfy a craving relatively healthfully and inexpensively. These are a little lighter than the recipes calling for two sticks of butter and even from frozen dough, they bake up in only 15 minutes.

If nutmeg is not a spice you use regularly, rather than investing in a whole jar of the pods, purchase a few pods from  well-stocked markets’ bulk spice section.  Its subtle woodsy flavor really enhances this spice combination nicely.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies Adapted from Cooking Light

Yields: 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Optional: you can replace ½ c with wheat flour.)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup raisins
• Cooking spray or parchment paper to line cookie sheets

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar and next 6 ingredients (brown sugar through egg) in a large bowl, and beat mixture at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended.
3. Stir in oats and raisins, and let stand 5 minutes.. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove cookies from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Note: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Freezing Instructions (The dough keeps for 4-6 weeks.)

• Freeze the rest of the raw dough after forming it into balls. Use a small ice cream scoop to make them uniform.
• To bake, simply put frozen dough balls on a cookie sheet, flatten dough slightly before putting in to a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12-15 mins.

Whether you’re baking frozen or fresh dough, make sure not to overbake so you’ll end up with chewy cookies.

This dough is very versatile.Try walnuts, peanuts, flax seeds, chocolate chips, coconut, cranberries, dried cherries or any combination as a substitute for the raisins.

Enjoy!