RIORDAN MANSION OATMEAL COOKIES

Even if you personally have no experience with Route 66, the 2400 mile span of highway that started in Chicago, Illinois and ended in Santa Monica, California, I would be surprised if you said you had never heard of it. Route 66 memorabilia seems to be everywhere, especially if you travel major highways and stop at truck stops or gifts shops along the way.

My parents and I rode on it going to California when I was less than 2 years old and several other times later. I am not sure where we got on it as we were starting out in southern Arkansas. I do know the last time we rode on any of it was in the '90s when we were living in CA and Mother and Daddy came to see us. We were on our way to Las Vegas and saw a sign along the road directing us to a portion of Route 66. We left the main highway so that we could "relive" the experience of driving on that infamous highway from "yesteryear".

When I saw a cookbook with collected recipes from dining places along Route 66 called The Route 66 Cookbook by Marian Clark, I knew I had to buy it. It is another one of those cookbooks that I love because it's more than just a cookbook but also an insightful source of information about the recipe and in this case a narrative about part of our past. (If you would like to read about the Historic Route 66, check out this link.)

This recipe for Oatmeal Cookies came from the Riordan Mansion in Flagstaff, AZ. It was one of Caroline Riordan's cookie recipes. The Riordan Mansion was not a place along the road to stop and eat. I think it was included in the cookbook because when Route 66 came through Flagstaff, it cut through the property between the 13,000 sq foot house and the Riordan's mill. 

RIORDAN MANSION OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4      cup butter
1           cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup truvia brown sugar blend)
1           tablespoon milk
2          eggs
1/2       cup chopped raisins (I used chopped dates.)
2          cups oatmeal
1           cup flour
1/2       teaspoon baking soda
1/2       cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream butter

(If you slice the butter about 1/4 inch thick, it will break up faster)

and add brown sugar. Mix well.

Stir in milk and eggs

and beat thoroughly. (My mixture looks a little different because I have half the amount of brown sugar in it since I used the brown sugar blend. The mixture will be fine after you add the dry ingredients.)

Combine the dry ingredients - the oatmeal, flour, soda, dates, and walnuts.

(Since I was using whole pitted dates and chopping them, I took a little bit of the flour out and added the chopped dates to it to coat them.)

Add remaining ingredients and

stir to combine.

Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough about 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. They do not flatten or spread much.

If you like flatter cookies, flatten them slightly with your fingers or the back of the cookie scoop.

 Bake for 10 minutes. (Unflattened ones.)

(Flattened ones.)

Cool completely on wire rack.





The dates add a different taste to a traditional oatmeal cookie. Feel free to use any dried fruit, ie cranberries, cherries, apricots, etc.