One More Cookie--for the Holidays and Year Round

The festive Christmas season may seem to have closed out on December 25, but many of us forget that Christmas Day is only the first of the "twelve days of Christmas." If you had great plans for sharing gifts of homemade goodies but got behind in your efforts, this weekend still provides time to get some things made and shared within that 12 day timeline.

This could be the time to stir up some Chex mix variation to be shared in festively tied bags or in quart jars. You might decide to bake a batch of bread (yeast raised or quick bread style, either one) and give small loaves with a flavored butter. And then there is still the option of packaging up the rest of your Christmas cookies, maybe adding a new kind that you can stir up quickly. This holiday baking could be a lot more leisurely now that the gift buying and wrapping is done, and your efforts will keep the wonderful fragrances of home-baked goodies filling the house for another few days.

So here is a bonus recipe, one that is good year round, either plain or with all kinds of toppings that make them just a little special. (And, if you are in the habit of buying holiday-themed candies after the big days, you might be able to get some of these ingredients at budget-tightening prices.) 

Basic Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, with Variations

1 c butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/4 c  water 
1/3 cocoa
 1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t soda
3 c quick oatmeal (not instant)   

flat chocolate candies

1.  Cream the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together, until very light and fluffy.
2.  Add the cocoa and water and stir until well-blended.
3.  Sift the flour and soda together and  to the creamed mixture. Stir in the oatmeal.
4.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a well-oiled baking sheet,  about an inch or two apart.
5.  Place a chocolate  candy on each cookie, pressing lightly to an
chor the candy.
6.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 to 10 minutes--do not overbake.

Variations:

Stir 3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips into the batter with the oatmeal. Omit the chocolate candies on top.
Substitute M&Ms, chocolate kisses, or other candies for the flat chocolates on top of the cookies.
Stir 1 c  finely apples into the batter with the oatmeal.
Substitute 1/2 c oil for 1/2 c of the butter. Reduce water to 2 T.