Grandmother Mauer?s Frosted Oatmeal Cookies

Grandmother Mauer?s Frosted Oatmeal Cookies3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal 1/2 cup chopped pecans Frosting 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 cup confectioner?s sugar, sifted after measuring 1 tablespoon strong coffee 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanillaPlace the oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets or jelly roll pans with vegetable oil. Set aside.For the cookies: Add the flour, salt and baking soda to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together until combined, 30-45 seconds. Set aside.With an electric mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium to medium-high speed for 3-4 min-utes until the texture becomes light and fluffy.Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 25 seconds. Stop the mixer, add the flour mixture, oatmeal and nuts and mix at low speed until moistened and combined, 30-45 seconds.Drop the dough by the teaspoons-full about 2 inches apart onto the prepared sheets or pans (about 15 cookies to the sheet or pan). Bake 8-10 minutes until light brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the pan onto cooling racks. Repeat until all of the dough is gone.For the frosting: While the cookies bake, add the butter, coffee, cinnamon and vanilla to a small mixing bowl. Add the confectioner?s sugar and, with an electric mixer, mix together until smooth. Spread about a ¨-teaspoon of the frosting on top of each cookie. (I like using a small rubber spat-ula.) Cool completely. Store in airtight containers or freeze.Makes about 60 cookiesNutrition values per cookie: 59 calories(44 percent from fat), 2.8 g fat (1.3 g satu-rated fat), 7.9 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fiber, 0.6 g protein, 9 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium.LeanNotes: To trim fat and calo-ries: Use ? cup butter and drain ¨ cup unsweetened applesauce for ? cup drained applesauce. Beat drained applesauce and butter and the sugars. And, reduce pecans to ? cup toasted nuts. These alterations reduce the percentage of calories from fat to 30 percent. The new counts are 47 calories and 1.6 g fat per cookie.