Calico Cookies

Calico Cookies. That name just popped into my head the other day for no particular reason! I honestly don't know why...but I love it! C'mon, say it with me, Calico Cookies! Yea, you like it too, right?
Anyhoo, when I googled calico cookies I found this recipe. It constantly amazes me how much you can learn from Google. Turns out this recipe is from a series of Aunt Dimity mystery novels by Nancy Atherton. It states that each book contains a recipe, which is intregal to the story. There are fifteen volumes so far. That means fifteen recipes to check out!

This cookie is very much like a soft oatmeal cookie, thick and kind of cake like. You can add in whatever you like in a cookie, such as chocolate chips, raisins or any kind of nut. It does call for almond extract and you do taste it in the cookie. If you don't like almond extract in your oatmeal cookies, then I would just leave it out.
Kris managed to polish off quite a few of them so I think it's safe to say these were a hit at our house!

Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars in a mixer bowl.

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and beat well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.

Mix in the oatmeal and beat well.

Then get the add-ins you're using and stir them into the mix.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop scoopfuls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies and 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookie, (using large cookie scoop). Flatten each cookie just slightly so they don't come out too fat.

Calico Cookie ( from"Aunt Dimity Goes West" book by Nancy Atherton)

Makes 5 dz. small cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch salt

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup each: chocolate chips, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, toffee bits.

Can also use: raisins, butterscotch chips, peanut butter pieces, white chocolate chips, or anything else you can think of!


Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and both sugars.
3. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat well.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix well to combine.

5. Mix in the oatmeal and beat well.

6. Stir in the add-ins.

7. Using a small cookie scoop for smaller sized cookies or a large cookie scoop for larger sozed cookies, drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2" apart. I flattened them just a little so they wouldn't come out too fat.

8. Bake the smaller cookies 8 to 10 minutes and the larger cookies 12 to 14 minutes. They should be golden brown on the bottom.

9. Cool a few minutes on the pan, then place on wire rack to cool.