A Childhood Rekindled

There are certain scents, certain strains of a forgotten melody, certain flavors that call forth old memories; scenes of the long-ago come rushing into my mind the instant I encounter them, and I find myself remembering vivid details I have not thought of in so long that I never would have imagined they could still be so clear in my mind. Yet, there they are, with that certain strange scent suddenly in the air…a certain staleness, but with a peculiar sharp quality to it, and my first grade classroom surrounds me: the reading corner where an incubator warms chicken eggs, the 5 low tables and chairs the perfect height for first grader statures, the darkness of the room for there were only two windows in each corner, and my teacher, Mrs. Robinson, with her withered skin and short dark hair sitting behind her desk. It’s all there, but it fades again once the scent is gone and I have done exploring those memories.

For my Dad, there is a very particular cookie recipe that does this for him. He’s been searching for it, he’s attempted and failed to reproduce it, he’s asked his family about it, and, until now, he has had to go without his beloved childhood cookies. A few weeks ago, while cleaning out Grampa Zenk’s garage, this recipe card fell onto the floor at his feet: “`Shorty’s’ Oatmeal Spice Cookies.”

He knew it for what it was instantly: His Grampa’s long lost cookie recipie. After all the failed attempts, the first batch from the oven doesn’t let him down. Delicious, scrumptious flavors of his long-ago childhood bring forth memories more potent than the spices of the cookie, and he is in the past.

They are delectable cookies, warm and gooey, flavorful and satisfying; the kind of cookie you have wished for and craved, the kind of cookie that you remember, the kind of cookie that doesn’t disappoint, and the kind of recipe you don’t mess with, for it can’t be improved. It is nostalgically perfect.

Shorty's Oatmeal Spice Cookies:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup soft shortening or 1 cup margerine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 Tbsp milk
1 packaged chocolate chips
nuts or cocunut as desired (Dad put walnuts and sunflower seeds in his latest batch.)
4 cups uncooked rolled oats

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add shortening, sugars, eggs and milk. Beat until smooth- about 2 minutes. Fold in chips, nuts/coconut and oats. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. (Dad recommends a shorter cooking time 8-10 minutes, so sit by and watch your cookies to find the right cooking time for you.) Enjoy!

Eat them with your feet up in a dark comfortable room with soft music playing... ahhh.