Pride of Iowa Cookies – An Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe
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What’s so special about Grandma’s Pride of Iowa cookies? They’re an old fashioned oatmeal cookie that have nuts, coconut and brown sugar. With a crunchy outside and soft inside, what more can you ask for in an easy oatmeal cookie recipe?
Pride of Iowa Cookie Recipe:
Here I am again with another of Grandma’s vintage recipes, and this time it’s an old fashioned oatmeal cookie. Grandma was born and raised in Iowa (she pronounced it Ioway). During the Depression, her family lost everything, and her oldest brother came to Indiana for work, and she eventually followed.
As a teen, Grandma worked for a family performing cooking and cleaning duties, and many of those recipes she brought with her and continued to make until the day she died.
She loved to tell the story that she made Homemade Ice Cream for the family several nights a week, and that’s why she was a bit on the fluffy side. Oh, how I miss my Grandma. Making her recipes keeps her memory alive, and I love to honor her.
Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe:
These vintage cookies are addictive. The outsides are crispy, yet the insides are soft. What more could you ask? I love the addition of coconut for added sweetness, and chopped nuts lend to the crunchy texture.
Here’s a little trick that I do when making cookies: only bake up about half the dough, and then keep the rest in the refrigerator or freezer for later. This helps keep the waistline trim, and then you’re a step ahead the next time you need a dessert or are having a sugar craving.
Please note that this recipe is for an oatmeal cookie with quick oats. Do not use rolled oats. If you have a bunch of rolled oats on hand but zero quick oats, I’ve been know to put the rolled oats in the food processor. Give them a few pulses until they are ground up finer. This trick works when you are in a pinch.
Ingredient List for Oatmeal Cookies
White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Shortening
Large Eggs
Vanilla Extract
All Purpose Flour
Salt
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Quick Oats
Sweetened Coconut
Chopped Nuts
How to Make Pride of Iowa Cookies
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream shortening, brown sugar and white sugar; add eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating in between until just incorporated.
- Combine quick oats, coconut and chopped nuts; add to dough and stir until mixed through batter.
- Form into balls or use a small cookie scoop and place onto cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes,
For the full instructions and ingredient amounts for oatmeal cookies with quick oats, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Recipe FAQS
- Be sure to use quick oats (not rolled oats) in these Pride of Iowa Cookies.
- I prefer to use chopped pecans or walnuts.
- For a little change, try adding butterscotch chips to these oatmeal cookies with quick oats.
- Feel free to adjust the baking time up or down depending if you want a softer or crispier oatmeal cookie.
- Use 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs.
- If your cookies do not spread, press down the center of these cookies the last minute of baking.
More Vintage Cookie Recipes
Dainty Logs with Chocolate Chips
Pride of Iowa Cookies (Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookie)
Ingredients
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream white sugar, brown sugar and shortening.
- Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; slowly add to creamed mixture just mixing until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine quick oats, coconut and nuts. Stir into the dough.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Notes
- Be sure to use quick oats (not rolled oats) in these Pride of Iowa Cookies.
- I prefer to use chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Use 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs. This makes a difference in how the cookie spreads.
- For a little change, try adding butterscotch chips to these oatmeal cookies with quick oats.
- A small cookie scoop works perfectly for these.
- Feel free to adjust the baking time up or down depending if you want a softer or crispier oatmeal cookie.
- If your cookies do not spread during baking, press down the center of these cookies the last minute of baking. This will result in a flat cookie. (This is a result of the texture of your dough. If it happens, add an extra egg next time).
- Grandma had awesome desserts! Try her Fantasy Fudge and Caramel Corn recipes.
Nutrition
My mother made these when I was a child, and i still use the recipe although I have adapted it as a GF cookie.
These are best oatmeal cookies ever!! I rarely leave a comment but I must say this easy recipe is definitely a keeper and now my “go to” recipe for oatmeal cookies!! Grandma can bake! I’ve been baking for years so trust me on this one. Now I will start adding nuts and maybe some butter scotch chips. Maybe!! Lol
Aren’t they amazing! Thanks for sharing!