I have to confess to a new addiction.
I’m hoping that if I say it out loud, I will have more of a will to fight it, but I’m pretty sure I’m in too deep.
In true addict form, though, I want you to know that it isn’t my fault. The blame lands firmly on the shoulders of a local business and supporter of ours: Main Street Co. & Kitchen Corner in Newton, Kan.
Owner Tina Ostrander has set up her website for extremely easy online shopping, and if there’s one thing I love more than shopping at local businesses, it’s not having to leave my house to do so.
On one of several recent shopping “trips” to their site to try to satisfy my Christmas shopping list, I, of course, found something on sale I needed to purchase, because not only did it sound delicious, but Tina promised a cookie recipe to come along with it. Not only that, but the title of the recipe was a pun, and if you’ve been reading my column for any length of time, you know how much I love a good food pun.
So this week’s recipe for oatmeal cookies comes from Main Street Co. & Kitchen Corner and uses the Aspen Mulling Spice they carry in store and online. I used the original flavor, but they also have caramel apple and sugar-free versions that you could totally use instead. I doubled the vanilla in my version below.
Oat “Mull” Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Aspen Mulling Spice
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups quick oats or rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the butter, vanilla, brown sugar, egg and mulling spice until it’s well combined.
- Beat in the flour and baking soda. Mix in the oats.
- For about two-inch cookies, drop by the teaspoonful about one-inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Let cool for a bit before transferring to an airtight container.
These were so delicious. I’m guessing that had something to do with how much butter was in the recipe, but the mulling spices gave them a light, autumn-like flavor that we really liked. They were just a little crispy around the edges and were a good, chewy cookie.
Plus, the recipe made just over four dozen cookies, so if you are planning on a cookie exchange or giving some treats to folks this holiday season, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of this recipe.
Also, this didn’t use the whole container of mulling spice, which means I will definitely be making myself a nice steaming cup of apple cider one of these evenings.
Shopping locally is important all of the time, but it’s especially essential this year, if we want to make sure that our favorite local businesses are still around after the pandemic is over.
Getting into the stores is sometimes tough, especially for those who aren’t comfortable getting out and about right now, but there are plenty of local businesses who have adapted to the times and have online shops and will ship or let you pick things up locally.
Before you shop on “Amazon” or another online retailer, do a quick search for local entrepreneurs you can support with your dollars. Those big box stores are doing fine without your contribution, and they certainly aren’t going to send you a great recipe to try with your order.
This piece first appeared in print on Nov. 26, 2020.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
