Being of Italian decent, I'm sure it won't surprise you to discover that in my grandmother's eyes, food meant love. Her nimble hands made the most delicious goodies imaginable like apple pies with crust that melted in your mouth, raviolis that are unmatched even today when you can get raviolis in many varieties in gourmet shops, and of course, her wonderful cookies! I will never forget walking through her bright yellow kitchen and stopping to dip into the brown, pottery cookie jar to grab an oatmeal or molasses cookie to pop into my mouth. Now a days we are cautioned by experts not to make the mistake of equating love with food, and a lifetime of battling the bulge has converted me to this way of thinking, but when a snack is in order, I want the snack that I have for my granddaughter to be wholesome, delicious and yes, comforting. When Sarah comes to Nona's she knows that in "her little cookie jar" she will find some of these Organic Raisin and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies which are very similar to the ones my grandma used to make for me.

Recipe for Nona's Organic Raisin and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
(using all organic ingredients makes these extra wholesome but the recipe works regardless)

1/2 cup butter                                                                1/2 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup brown sugar                                                    3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 fresh egg                                                                    1 1/4 cup of thick rolled oats (not quick oats) 
1 tsp. vanilla                                                                  3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda                                                    1/4 cup raisins
                                          1/4 cup ground walnuts

Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture. Mix until smooth. Stir in rolled oats, then raisins and ground walnuts (I use a mortar and pestal to make them into almost a meal). Mixture will be very stiff. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Don't forget that the last two minutes of baking will take place as you are taking them out of the oven and removing them with a spatula onto a cooling rack. They will be soft but will firm up as they cool. Makes 42-48 cookies depending on how big a lump you drop onto the sheet.

Is there a special cookie jar in your memory?

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