Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

These are our current favorite CCC's.  I decided it was time to come up with our own recipe. Age 15 made these while I dictated directions. He did good. They were good. I want some now. In our 5000ft altitude it is hard to get a cookie to be nice and high and not just deflate and spread on the pan. For some reason these worked out perfect, kept their height and gooey-chewiness. I'm not a hard cookie fan, the gooier, the better. Have they always worked this well? No, but they have worked consistently the best in that area.


Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup butter
2 Tbls. shortening
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teas. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, powder and salt.  Set aside.
Mix together butter, peanut butter and shortening, sugar and brown sugar until just mixed well, no need to cream.
Add vanilla and eggs, mix.  Gradually add flour mixture until just combined, stir in chips and oatmeal.  I like to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, I think it helps in keeping them puffed up.

Use a large scoop and drop onto cookie sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden and have cracked.  They won't look all the way done in the cracks.  Cool ON THE PAN so they will continue to cook a little.  This made a huge difference.   This is what they looked like just out of the oven.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

I love these bars.  Too much.  I need to be less selfish and greedy and give stuff like this away more so I don't have to eat left overs by myself.  Because I am such an awesome mother though I take all the fat and unhealthy stuff so my kids don't have to suffer.  It's true, look at my daughter and husband who have about 4% body fat combined.  I have taken all that pain and grief and suffering from them and lovingly added all their extra fat to myself.  That is what I tell myself anyway when I sneak the extra bar or two... while they are at work and school.



I made these for book club once.  I'm very talented at being able to make the words that come out of my mouth not match the thoughts in my head.  One women said "Who made these, they taste so deliciously naughty."  Instead of responding I made them, thank you.   I said "I'm good at naughty."   I actually meant I was good at making desserts that taste good and are not healthy in any way.   We all got a good laugh. 

I have been using a new ingredient in my baking.  Black Bee Vanilla  It is made locally and I like it.  I have the double Madagascar which I use in baking and a single Tahitian which I use in things that are not cooked or at least not as much.  This is not a paid endorsement, I just wanted to give them a shout-out.


Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate chip cookie layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup butter flavored vegetable shortening
1 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
1 T cider vinegar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake layer:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt and vinegar. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the dough into two equal portions and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl cream the cream cheese with the sugar until thoroughly combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

3. In a 9x13 pan, spread 1/2 of the cookie dough mixture evenly across the bottom. (This is somewhat tricky to do. I find it easier to add dollops of cookie dough throughout the pan and then spread all the dollops together. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the top of the cookie dough. With the remaining cookie dough, flatten chunks of dough between your hands into discs, and then place on top of the cream cheese mixture. (The dough discs don't have to touch, just place them near each other so they cover the surface as well as possible.)

4. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is brown and cooked through. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.


I found this recipe at Heat Oven to 350.  Thank you for sharing it with the world.

Sugar Cookie Fruit Tart Bars

...for want of a better name.

 
I have been making versions of this for years. I use the same basics but sometimes I cover a whole round cookie sheet at once making a Fruit Pizza, sometimes individual ones like these.   For these, this time, I used a Sugar Cookie Bar recipe to try something a bit different, although I usually use more of a regular cut-out cookie dough recipe.  These turned out great and I may stick with this recipe but make them not so high next time.

You can use whatever fruit you like. I think kiwi is requisite at our house and berries are always welcome. Bananas, mandarins, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, apples, etc....... Melons are not among my favorite toppings for this however.  Remember if you use fruits that brown easily like bananas to toss them with some lemon juice to curb the browning.  

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter; room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract flavoring
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & almond and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan).  I find it easiest to make little patties and piece them all together.  It seems like not much but it will rise to the rim of the pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.  I also cook it at a lower temp for longer often to give the middle time to catch up before the edges get to browned.

Cream Cheese Topping

2 8oz packages of Cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.  You may add more sugar if desired, I like the less sweet mixture against the sweetness of the cookie bottom and tart/sweet of the fruit.

Because of the cream cheese and fruit you do not want to assemble this too far in advance, it will keep in the refrigerator for a day however and depending on the type of fruit and how juicy it is etc.

Spread Cream cheese mixture on top of baked cookie sheet.  If you are cutting pieces ahead of time, do this now and then place fruit.  If you would rather do the fruit pizza route then place fruit on as desired and then cut slices.    This makes about 48 squares as baked in a sheet pan, and of course how you slice it.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

I don't really have time to blog about these cookies except to say that I love them. I just wanted to post this since it's been in my edit box for 3 months. So. Busy. It is America's Test Kitchen recipe.

The only thing negative I have to say is that they are oily. I leave out some but I need to try and leave out more and see if they work. 

I do use a whisk to make them, just like it says, no beaters.  


Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar , plus 1/3 cup for rolling
• 2 ounces cream cheese , cut into 8 pieces
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , melted and still warm
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

* 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
* 2. Place 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
* 3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons of sugar remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
* 4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

GIngersnaps

 

Boy did I let the blog go this last month.    Well I will make up for it right here with these Ginger Snaps.   These are so good.  I can't resist them straight from the oven, hot and a little gooey.  mmm.   

I made 7 dozen of these.  And I bet I could have eaten almost all of them, I might have gotten sick but I would have given it a try  if I hadn't of known that they were for a greater good and not for me.  My poor family got to look at them all and I only allowed them one each.  Seriously sad.  

The best way to do gingersnaps in my opinion is to leave them a little gooey so that when they cool they stay a bit chewy.  I know the title any everything says 'snap' but I really don't care for hard gingersnaps.    I cook them just until the cracks form good and the bottom is slightly browned.  This is the same recipe I have used for 30 years, probably longer but I don't really remember much cooking before that.  It has been hard for me to beat.  Also, I always double this recipe. 

Gingersnaps

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 teas. baking soda

1 teas. cinnamon (maybe a pinch more)

1 teas. ginger

1/2 teas cloves

1/4 teas. salt

2 1/4 cup flour

granulated sugar

Preheat Oven to 375 deg.  combine sugar, shortening and molasses until well blended.  Add egg and mix in.   Add all spices and soda, mix.  Stir in flour.  Refrigerate for 1 hr.  Form 1in. balls, dip half  in sugar and place on baking sheet sugar up.  Bake 10 - 12 min.  

Girl Scout-like Samoas Cookies

I Love these cookies! They are super sweet though so go easy with them. I am not too good at following my own advice. You can make your own shortbread cookies or buy them. For this time, I bought them. The one's I got were square but you can do any shape.

Samoa Cookies

1 box/batch shortbread cookies
6 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-3 cups toasted coconut
1 cup chocolate chips

place cookies in a sheet pan. I like them close together to avoid over-spills.
In 2 qt pot combine butter, sugar and corn syrup over med-low heat. Bring to boil stirring constantly and boil 3 min. Slowly pour in condensed milk and continue cooking on low until 220deg. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and toasted coconut. Spoon mixture on to cookies and cool. Melt chips (I used a lot less than 1 cup, it's your preference.) and drizzle/spread over cookies. 

Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

I have shared this recipe before, but not on my blog.  My husband wanted to make Banana bread this weekend with the over ripe bananas left on the counter.  Really, I think he left them there on purpose because bananas do not generally sit un-eaten in my house.  The banana bread I make usually has a lot more than just bananas ( apple/zucchini/carrot +)  and I didn't want that much work.  This recipe popped into my head and I knew it would be a better solution. 


We made them using a gluten free flour mix instead of the wheat/white flour.  They turned out so good but a little more crumbly/cakey than they might have been.  They were so crumbly that they prompted a whole song from my 6 yr. old. generally consisting of a lot of words that rhyme with crumby or crumble.  We did a first test batch and decided that we would put the rest in a pan to make bars.  I think this was a wise decision, mostly because then I only had to make one batch instead of several pans full.  It turned out very well this way and I would love to tell you how long I baked them, but I didn't pay attention.  I think it was around 15 min?  Mostly I baked until they really started to smell good and then I checked and they looked done.  My husband is always appalled that I don't use a timer all the time.   The other day he asked me how long to cook something (I don't remember what it was)  I said I don't know maybe about 'this' long.  He set the timer and was shocked that it wasn't done when the timer went off.  "Uh, I told you I didn't know for sure!"


I think this was originally a Martha recipe.


Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
 
Ingredients :
1 cup all- purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2 inch chunks (~224 gr)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted

Directions :
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Whisk together both flours, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Put butter and both sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnut.
3. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12-13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.
Makes about 3 dozen.

For a Gluten free version you can probably use whatever flour mix you like.  The mix we used was 
6 parts brown rice flour 
2 parts potato starch
1 part Tapioca flour


Just use 1 1/2 cups of the final flour mix.  
Also I added a teaspoon of Xanthan gum to the batter, I perhaps needed more, I don't have the whole Xanthan thing figured out yet.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Oh boy, did I have trouble with these.  The cookie part turned out ok but when I went to put the ice cream in it was melting faster than I could handle.  I also made these for the same church function and they didn't freeze so well at the church either.  They were very melty.  Once I got them home, however, they froze in my freezer just fine and I was able to eat a whole one without any drips at all.  In order to hold all the sandwiches I made (about 40) I had to put them in my deep freeze, which I guess isn't so frozen as my fridge/freezer.  So lesson # 1 make sure your ice cream is really frozen before you begin and freeze them quickly after assembly.

As for the chocolate cookie, after being frozen it is not soft like a store bought ice cream sandwich, but sort of hard as in it cracks when you bite it but its not hard like an oreo hard, just not bendy cake-like soft. Kind of chewy.  I liked it, it was sort of an addicting texture to me. 

I used 3 different flavors of ice cream in my cookies, Chocolate Chip, Peppermint and French vanilla.  I liked the Peppermint best.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa, sifted
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
extra flour and cocoa for dusting

In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the cocoa powder, mixing on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Then add the vanilla and the egg and blend on medium speed until thoroughly combined.  Add the flour on low speed, mixing until uniform and comes together like a dough. 
Remove the cookie dough from the mixer, wrap in plastic and chill until firm (this should take several hours). You can store the dough wrapped like this for 2-3 days if you wish to make it in advance.
When ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 350°F.  Remove your dough from the refrigerator, if it is hard as a rock allow to stand at room temperature for a little while before exercising your rolling muscles on it.  In a small bowl, mix together enough flour and cocoa to dust your cutting board and your dough to keep it from sticking (a mix of 50/50 flour/cocoa). Using cocoa powder to dust will keep the surface of your cookies dark and chocolaty looking.  Roll out your chilled dough to about 1/8" thickness and cut out your shapes. (I tried some cookies with holes and some without.  It didn't seem to matter much.  Holes had a little less but not much bubbling.)  Bake for 10 minutes, until the surface is no longer glossy. Allow to cool completely on wire racks. They will be soft fresh out of the oven but will crisp up as they cool.  Once cool, place the cookies in a ziplock baggie or other container and freeze until ready to use.

To fill with ice cream, open carton and slice desired size slices.  Cut to same size/and shape as cookies then sandwich together.  Freeze until serving time.
If you use home made icecream or can not slice it, quickly spread in a baking sheet and freeze again, then cut desired shapes.

Monster Cookies

Yet again another flour free food.  I am not sure why these are called monster cookies except that the recipe calls for them to be big, and I think the ingredient possibilities might make them monsterish?    Anyway they don't call for flour which is why I made them.  I have been making these for years and use them especially when I have to make cookies for someone I know can't eat wheat.   I made these simply with chocolate chips but the recipe suggests all sorts of stuff from raisins to m&m's.  It's all up to you.  I don't remember where I got the original recipe from and all I have is a list of ingredients.  So I will do my best.  Also I always cut this recipe in half.

Monster Cookies

6 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
1 Tbls vanilla
1 Tbls corn syrup
4 teas. baking soda
1 cup butter
2 2/3 cup peanut butter
9 cups quick oats
any mix-in's you want, raisins, choc chips, m&m's, etc.

Preheat oven to 350deg.  Beat eggs, add sugars, vanilla and corn syrup and beat with eggs.  Add baking soda and stir.  Beat in softened butter and peanut butter.  Stir in oats.  Stir in other things.   drop onto cookie sheet in desired size, I wouldn't make them too small.  I do a large rounded tablespoon.  Bake 12-15 min.

Granola Bars

My kids love these homemade granola bars.  I like that they are made with ingredients I can see and choose.  However these are very sweet and I wish they weren't so much.  I've tried leaving out some sugar but they don't hold up as well.  My littlest loves them with mini-m&m's, this time I didn't have any.  I used chocolate chips and chopped peanuts and substituted a bit of oatmeal with rice krispies.  If you like raisins or crazins or other dried fruit that would work as well, perhaps with a bit of cinnamon.  The recipe for these is also in my neighborhood cookbook.

Granola Bars

2/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 teas. vanilla
4 cups quick oats

Preheat oven to 350deg. Melt butter and stir in peanut butter.  Add corn syrup, brown sugar and vanilla.  Mix in oats a bit at a time.  Then add other ingredients, m&m's, choc chips etc.
Press in 9x13 pan and bake 14-16 minutes.
I find it easier to line the pan with foil or the like to remove the whole batch from the pan and cut.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love the smell of browned butter.  Who couldn't?  And when I saw this recipe I was determined to try it.  When an opportunity came I pulled out the recipe.    Since my last doctor visit confirmed my suspicions of elevated insulin levels, no to mention cholesterol,  I have to have a good excuse to pull out the baking pans, much to my sorrow!  Thank you church functions that always need refreshments! 

This is the recipe I first found and so used is from this blog.   Along with browned butter it also uses toasted and then ground oatmeal and toasted nuts.

I only used half the nuts and ground them up fine because the cookies were for my Son's function and he doesn't like big nuts.

I liked the flavor the butter added.  I found that it was more pronounced if the cookies were baked a little longer.  I wish butter was still an important diet staple like it once was when the Pioneers needed the fat. I am reminded of a story of my GGG Grandfather who when he was traveling with some companions they thought he ate too much butter and tried to make him sick of butter by making him eat a pound for dinner and not letting him have any meat.  They tried the next day too and he said he would but they wouldn't be able to make him sick as his mother had also tried it when he was young.  They finally gave up.   Clearly I would not eat a straight pound but I sure like to cook with it.

Cream Cheese Cookies

These just beg "Pick me up and put me in your mouth."

What I like about these cookies is the tartness from the cream cheese filling that tones down the other sweet flavors.  This time I chose to top them with a mixture of white c-chips and butterscotch or semi-sweet chips.  I haven't used butterscotch on them before and really liked the flavor.   For holidays they are fun to top with whatever fun chips your store sells, such as striped green and white.  I am sure they would lend themselves well to other toppings.   While they are made in mini muffin tins, they are still more than a bite-full.