preheat oven to 350°; rack in middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks, 1/2 lb)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour (no need to sift)
2 cups quick oats
1 egg yolk

melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for approximately 1 1/2 minutes. let it cool to room temperature. mix in the sugar. add the baking soda, flour and oatmeal. stir thoroughly. beat the egg yolk with a fork until it’s thoroughly mixed. add it to the bowl and stir until its incorporated. grease (or spray with pam) a standard-sized cookie sheet. make small balls of dough and place them on the cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet. press them down with a fork in a crisscross pattern the way you do for peanut butter cookies. bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until they’re just starting to brown around the edges. let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the sheets and then transfer them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

makes approximately 5 dozen