Pre-Spring Sunshine

Recently we've been having a taste of spring with lots of sunshine, above freezing temperatures and the quick disappearance of snow. I've been trying to advantage of the wonderful weather and have been going for a nice long walk almost everyday with the dog. When it's been bitter cold all we've been doing is a quick 20 minute walk but now, I've been taking at least an hour. Although I'm enjoying the break from winter we have been having, it's making me very anxious for spring especially after seeing other blogs such as this one. Unfortunately I'm not willing to pay an arm and a leg for the out of season produce here in my neck of the woods, so I have to bite my lip and stick with items that are a little more affordable.

So after the dog and I got back from our walk in the country, I yanked out a random cookbook and decided to try something I haven't made yet, nothing to hard just new to me. And although I have made oatmeal cookies many times before the recipe for Mennonite oatmeal cookies caught my eye because of an unusual ingredient: schmaltz. I did not make the recipe using chicken fat however, I just used butter because although the ingredient caught my eye, I just can't imagine using chicken fat in a cookie recipe. The original recipe came from Cookies and Squares with Schmecks Appeal by Edna Staebler, who's Schmecks series of books are based off Mennonite families in southern Ontario, near Waterloo, which was largely settled by German Mennonites hence the use of schmaltz. These cookies are quite delicious with the use of butter, but if your brave try it by replacing the butter with schmaltz or you can use a mix of half butter, half schmaltz.

Mennonite Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Cookies and Squares with Shmecks Appeal

1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats, not instant
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt
* optional 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt butter with brown sugar and vanilla and stir until all incorporated, set aside. Measure out all dry ingredients into a bowl and pour butter mixture over top, stir to combine. Mixture will be slightly crumbly. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and flatten into rounds on baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch in between each cookie. Bake cookies for 6 minutes or until just golden on edges but watch careful because they burn quickly. Allow to cool briefly on trays and allow to cool fully and cooling racks.