Nothing says home quite like a warm oatmeal cookie — slightly crisp on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside. Here is my latest version. I recently made a fresh batch and served them to a friend for dessert. She could not resist and devoured five of them!

Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon (scant) baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup room temperature unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Directions 

1. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar in medium-sized bowl with a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl a couple of times, until pale-colored and creamy. Remove beaters and fold in flour, nuts, raisins, cranberries, and oats. Place in bowl or container and seal tight with plastic wrap or a top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Roll chilled dough into walnut-sized balls and place on parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart—they will stay fairly rounded. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just firm in the center. Remove from oven,and cool on cookie racks.

Wonderful served warm.