A couple of months ago when I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, my phone started to ding. Rosie Reale ‘24 was frantically texting me. When I read the texts, I was horrified to see a photo of separated, messy-looking cookie dough accompanied by a text that said: “Help, how can I fix this!!!”  To be honest, I wasn’t sure what was wrong, so I told her that the cookies probably weren’t going to be saved. The next day, my failure to save her baking disaster still occupied my mind, so I asked her to send me the recipe. It was on old stained paper, handwritten in wispy cursive. According to Rosie, she had a book of handwritten recipes from her grandma, and this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe was one of them. This book, created by her grandmother, now belongs to her mother and will someday be passed down to her and her sisters.  

Many people have recipes that have been passed down through generations and have been modified by each owner along the way.  These recipes can connect the owners to their heritage or even to ancestors they never met.  Kate Novack ‘24 said: “When you pass the family recipes down generations, there is a connection made between the one that originally started the recipe and the person that is making the recipe now; you can remember people that you’ve lost or that you just want to remember in a special way through cooking.”  Kate recently made garbage bread, a type of calzone, using a recipe passed down from her dad’s side of the family.  She used the recipe to surprise her dad, who was having a hard day, and it made him really happy. 

When I looked at the recipe, I instantly found the problem: there were not enough eggs! “Cecilia, why are eggs so important in this recipe?” you might ask. Well, let’s break it down. Eggs are a binding ingredient. So, when I saw that her dough wasn’t coming together, and her recipe only called for one egg, I knew the problem. When eggs are cooked, their protein sets, giving stability to baked goods. Egg yolks in particular bind liquids and fats together, creating an emulsion that prevents the ingredients from separating.

Along with adding another egg, I added salt and some more spices. The final result was a chewy and delicious cookie with a nutty aroma. I hope you try out the recipe and enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup of room temperature butter (2 sticks of butter)

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs (room temperature)

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

½  tsp salt 

½ tsp baking powder

½ chocolate chips

1 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, and baking powder
4. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients 
5. Using a rubber spatula or spoon, fold in chocolate chips and raisins
6. Scoop 1- 2 tbsp balls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (make sure to leave room between each cookie)
7. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown
8. Enjoy!

Cecilia Ashenuga ‘24, Food & Wellness Editor and Rosie Reale ‘24, Staff Writer

24cashenuga@montroseschool.org and 24rreale@montroseschool.org