Poor Man’s Cookies

In the mood to bake cookies but you’re fresh out of eggs and butter? No problem! This vintage cookie recipe will satisfy a craving for freshly baked cookies without requiring you to visit the grocery store.

Poor man’s cookies are made entirely with shelf-stable pantry ingredients, including shortening, sugar, all-purpose flour and rolled oats. The result? Golden oatmeal cookies with crisp edges, a chewy center and a rich, nutty caramelized flavor. Since these cookies contain no eggs or dairy, they’re considered a budget-friendly treat. They’re also vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

What are poor man’s cookies?

Poor man cookies are essentially oatmeal cookies made without eggs, butter, milk or nuts. The recipe hails from the Great Depression era when certain ingredients like dairy and eggs were scarce due to shortages or too expensive for the average household.

Instead of perishable ingredients, these cookies are made with simple pantry ingredients, including shortening, sugar, flour, baking soda and rolled oats. It turns out that’s all you need to bake a batch of melt-in-your-mouth cookies!

Ingredients for Poor Man’s Cookies

• Shortening: Shortening provides structure and tenderness to the cookies without the need for butter. Look for shortening without hydrogenated oils (it’s a healthier choice!), and if you prefer a buttery-tasting cookie, try butter-flavored shortening.
• Sugar: Poor man cookies are sweetened with granulated white and brown sugars. The molasses in brown sugar helps give these cookies a soft, chewy texture. It also delivers a toasty caramel flavor. You can use light or dark brown sugar interchangeably here.
• Water: Since this is an eggless cookie recipe, we’re using some water for extra moisture to help bring the cookie dough together.
• Vanilla: No cookie recipe would be complete without vanilla extract’s warm, sweet notes.
• Flour: You’ll need 1 cup all-purpose flour for this recipe. Measuring flour the right way prevents dry, dense cookies. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then use the flat edge of a knife to level it.
• Baking soda: Baking soda is the leavening agent that helps the cookies rise. Not sure if your box of baking soda is still fresh? Do a baking soda test to see if it’s usable or needs replacing.
• Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors and helps balance the sweetness.
• Rolled oats: Oats give poor man’s cookies their signature chewy texture. Use rolled or old-fashioned oats—they retain their texture better than quick oats in baked goods.

Directions

Step 1: Cream the shortening and sugars

Taste Recipes

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the shortening and sugars until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Then, beat in the water and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt.

Editor’s Tip: Properly creaming sugar and fat can take five minutes of constant beating, so you’ll want to use a hand-held or stand mixer for this job.

Step 2: Mix the dry and wet ingredients

Taste Recipes

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

Taste Recipes

Fold in the oats.

Editor’s Tip: If you add mix-ins, like chocolate chips or chopped nuts, fold them into the cookie dough with the oats.

Step 3: Bake the cookies

Taste Recipes

Scoop tablespoons of cookie dough and drop them onto greased baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to stand for 2 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: Grease your baking sheets with shortening, butter or cooking spray. For fewer dishes, skip the oil and line the baking sheets with parchment.

Taste Recipes

Recipe Variations

• Try cinnamon raisin: This classic flavor duo will make these cookies taste like old-fashioned oatmeal cookies. Whisk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients and fold 1/2 cup raisins into the cookie dough.
• Add chocolate chips: For a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, fold 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
• Include fruit and nuts: Add 1/2 cup each of dried fruit and chopped nuts to your cookies for more flavor and texture. Walnut-cranberry, pistachio-cherry or pecan-coconut are all winning combinations.
• Ice the cookies: Once cool, drizzle the cookies with a simple glaze made from confectioners’ sugar and water.
• Turn them into ice cream sandwiches: Sandwich a scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice cream between two poor man’s cookies for a classic dessert.

How to Store Poor Man’s Cookies

To keep cookies fresh, transfer them to an airtight container after they cool completely. The cookies will keep at room temperature for up to one week. Placing a piece of parchment between each layer of cookies helps prevent them from sticking together.

If your cookies turn harder than you’d like, add a slice of sandwich bread to the cookie container (the end pieces are great for this). The moisture in the bread helps restore the cookies’ softness!

Can you freeze poor man’s cookies?

Yes! When properly stored, these drop-style cookies freeze well and will keep for up to three months. Bake the cookies as directed and allow them to cool completely. Arrange the cooled cookies in a single layer on a sheet pan or freezer-safe tray and freeze them until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the cookies to an airtight container or freezer storage bag. Thaw the cookies at room temperature or warm them for a few seconds in the microwave.

Poor Man’s Cookie Tips

Taste Recipes

Are these cookies good for you?

When it comes to cookies and other baked goods, the old saying applies: everything in moderation. That being said, poor man cookies are made with shortening, and traditional shortening contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are a source of unhealthy trans fats. For a healthier option, look for shortening labeled trans-fat free or without hydrogenated oils on the ingredient list.

Why did my cookies spread and stick together?

Poor man cookies spread during baking and can stick to each other if baked too close together. Your cookies can spread more if you don’t cream the shortening and sugars long enough. To avoid this, cream the ingredients until light and fluffy, three to five minutes, and leave at least 2 inches of space between each cookie dough scoop on the baking sheet.

Can you substitute butter for shortening?

You can make poor man’s cookies with 1 cup softened unsalted butter instead of shortening. With butter, these cookies will spread more, resulting in a thinner, crispier cookie with a rich, buttery taste. You can reduce the spreading by placing the cookie dough in the fridge for one hour before baking.