Comfort Food – noun, foods consumed to achieve some level of improved emotional status, whether to relieve negative psychological affect or to increase positive. Food that brings some form or measure of comfort, sense of well-being, or easy satisfaction, usually from being warm and filling such as a dish made with a staple food, or basically pleasing such as sweets or desserts.

Why do we crave comfort food when we’re feeling down, have a cold, or sense a change in weather? I think it’s pretty simple: comfort foods nourish our bodies and our souls. Food that is simple, delicious and soothing reminds of us simpler, carefree times. Comfort foods can warm our hearts and our cold fingers and toes.

Can my mom’s chicken noodle soup, warm cinnamon buns or freshly baked cookies really improve my emotional status? I feel a cold coming on (the roof of my mouth hurts, I was really slow on my morning run, and my eyes are tired) and I sense fall in the air. I’m willing to curl up on the couch with a good book (I’ve been savoring the new Kate Furnivall novel) and give old-fashioned Oatmeal Cookies a try. I’m sure a mega amount of carbs and calories will go a long way to improve my emotional well being.

On a side note: a recent study by the University of Illinois found that guys prefer ice cream, soup, pizza and pasta. Us girls selected sweeter items, with ice cream, chocolate and cookies topping the list of preferred comfort foods. Big surprise.

Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Family Recipe

• 1 C butter at room temperature
• 1 C packed brown sugar
• 1 C white sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 C oats
• Options:

1. chopped pecans
2. coconut
3. raisins
4. chocolate chips
5. toffee bits

• Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla until well blended.
• Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and oats.
• Mix butter mixture and flour mixture.
• Add in your optional ingredients making sure they don’t total more than 2 C.
• If you like a flatter, crispier cookie as pictured above, roll dough into two logs, wrap in saran wrap and chill at least 4 to 24 hours. Then cut into 1/2″ rounds. At this point you can either bake the cookies at 350 for 9-11 minutes or freeze them unbaked for a little comfort at a later time. If you like a thicker cookie, drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet then chill or freeze as per above.
• Makes about 30-36 cookies.

Notes:

• The great thing about this recipe is you can do whatever you fancy on any particular day. This time around I added 1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut and 1/2 C chopped pecans. Next time around….who knows?