Loaded Oatmeal Cookies (Paula Deen)

I love this yummy little oatmeal cookie packed with nuts and raisins and a wonderful combination of spices and then topped with a drizzle of brown butter glaze. It is another of my favorite Paula Deen (FoodTV) recipes. If you can keep yourself from eating them all the day you make them, they are even better the next day (stored tightly wrapped).

• Ready In: 22 mins
• Serves: 60
• Yields: 5 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1⁄2 cups  packed light brown sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 1⁄2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1  cup raisins
• 1 1⁄2 cups  chopped walnuts or 1 1⁄2 cups pecans
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• For Glaze

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 2 -3  cups  sifted powdered sugar (see note below)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 -4  tablespoons water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly grease cookie sheets. With electric mixer cream together butter, shortening and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light in color. Add buttermilk (it will appear a little curdled at this stage, don't worry).
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg,cinnamon, cloves and allspice; stir into creamed mixture. Stir in oatmeal, raisins, walnuts and vanilla, blending well. (Dough will be soft and sticky).
3. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. (I use a small cookie dough scoop that looks like an ice cream scoop--makes this job easy and ensures uniformly rounded cookies).
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Oven temperatures and size of cookies you make vary, so check your first batch at least by 9 to 10 minutes.
5. For Brown Butter Glaze: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally until butter is a golden brown.
6. Remove pan from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough water to make the icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm cookies.
7. *Cook's Note: Paula Deen's original recipe calls for 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar. I found that to be too much. I also found it easier to bake all of the cookies and line them up closely on cooling rack, then make glaze and drizzle cookies all at one time. You get a more consistent glaze this way as it tends to harden as it cools.