astray recipes: Oatmeal lace cookies

Categories: Cake/cookie; Holiday
Yield: 48 servings

Measure	Ingredient
1½ cup	Rolled oats
½ cup	All-purpose flour
¾ cup	Firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon	Baking soda
¼ teaspoon	Salt
3 tablespoons	Plus 1 stick butter
1 large	Egg
¼ cup	Heavy cream
1 teaspoon	Pure vanilla extract
½ cup	Dried currants, soaked in
2 tablespoons	Brandy (opt)

From "Cookies for Christmas," by Maria Robbins (St. Martin's Press, 1993, $6.95 paperback).

Heat oven to 350'F. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat. In a small bowl beat the egg together with the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Stir in currants if using.

Stir in melted butter. Stir the liquid ingredients into the oat-flour mixture and combine well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 3" between each cookie. These will thin and spread out.

Bake 5-6 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for several minutes, until cookies hold their shape.

With a spatula, carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen.

oatmeal lace cookies