Oatmeal Cookies Both Ways

Oh how I've been wanting to make oatmeal cookies! Perhaps my memories of the Oatmeal Creme Pies I ate after school with my third grade friend are the reason they've actually become one of my favorite types of cookies. But I so rarely get to eat them nowadays unless my adulthood friends happen to buy and share an oversized box from Costco. But homemade are even better.

Now one question that always arises when making oatmeal cookies is that of add-ins. Do you put the classic raisins? Do you hate raisins? Do you need more chocolate in your life? Doesn't everyone? While I'm more of a fruit person, my boyfriend is all about the chocolate chips. What to choose? What to choose?

As my favorite "corny" tortilla commercial says:

Bam.

Thus I made my recipe twice, once with raisins and once with chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips, to be exact, since that's the type of chocolate I prefer to eat). Ah, but where did I get this recipe, and why? (More fun baking questions). The "why" was a request from coworkers to bring in delicious treats for some guests coming into the library the next day. The "where" was actually from two recipes I found online after searching for oatmeal cookie recipes that didn't require a mixer. I don't have a mixer. And I wanted oatmeal cookies. And I love to experiment with creating my own recipe, using other successful attempts as a basis. So I took those successful attempts and merged them.

The first was found on the Averie Cooks website. It's just a little overrun with cookie photos ("Where is the recipe??" you might ask as you scroll), but the photos were enticing enough to keep me scrolling until I finally found the ingredients and directions I was looking for.

The second recipe was found on a website called Bite This, containing fewer pictures but also fewer directions. I tried to take the best parts of both and add my own little twists (like the nutmeg and my inability to make decisions). It seemed to come together nicely, and I had all the ingredients on hand without doing any extra shopping. This might just become my classic go-to for Oatmeal Cookies.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened about 30 minutes in the microwave but not completely melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Soften your butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds or less in a glass or otherwise microwave safe container. Add in both sugars and stir.

2.) Let your mixture sit a moment to cool the butter (you can also try putting it in the fridge or freezer for just a few minutes), then add the egg and stir again. Next add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring one more time.

3.) Pour the flour, baking soda, and salt on top of the mixture and slowly fold the dry ingredients into the batter until no more flour is visible. Slowly fold in the oats next, and finally, fold in the raisins or chocolate chips until they are fully incorporated throughout the batter.

4.) Drop the batter into rounded tablespoons (or small golf balls) on a baking sheet lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray. Bake about 10-12 minutes (more if you have more cookies on the sheet, less if you have a small baking sheet), then rotate the cookies so the ones in the front are now in the back and bake another 2 minutes until they all still look light but firm. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack or ceramic plate to cool completely.

If these cookies fall apart when you try to take them off the baking sheet--wait! I know it's hard, but let them sit and rest and harden a bit before moving (or eating) them. Unless you like to eat your cookies in pieces. Hey, they're still cookies. I wouldn't blame you.

So overall, I'd say the result of my experiment was definitely "success." I mentally patted myself on the back after my first bite of this treat--and I rarely mentally pat myself on the back. Now perhaps my next experiment will be to put some Lactose Free Vanilla ice cream in between two of these to recreate another childhood favorite: the ice cream sandwich.

Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Muffins

Whoops, looks like I went a little out of order here. I forgot I made these Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Muffins back some time in June (Another sign that my memory's going)? I also don't really remember how they tasted, but they are a healthier treat, with a recipe taken right off a bag of flour. This one I believe I followed almost to the letter, but if you can't read the directions in the photo, I'll still type it out below if you'd like to try recreating a healthy morning snack!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup whole milk (I'm pretty sure I used fat free)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (Canola)

1/4 cup molasses (I love me some molasses)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (my mom loves nutmeg)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries (I usually go with Ocean Spray Craisins, since they're easiest to find)

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or 375 degrees if using a convection oven. Then in a bowl, combine the milk, oil, molasses, sugar and egg.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and dried cranberries. Stir in the milk mixture until everything is just combined. (According to the bag, it's supposed to be lumpy, so don't worry).

3.) Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each about 1/2 full (should be enough for at least 12 muffins). Bake about 15 minutes (12 minutes for a convection oven) and let cool slightly before removing from the tin.

With the nutmeg and the cranberries, this would probably make a perfect fall treat, so I'm almost caught up to the season!

Oatmeal Banana Pecan Cookies

I can't remember why I made these, other than the fact that I felt like baking in the morning before a jog. Come to think of it, I can't remember how they tasted, or even where I got the recipe/idea from. Not necessarily a good sign in cooking (you want your concoctions to be memorable), but I like the look of them in the photo and the name (you can't go wrong with bananas or pecans in baking, really) that I've decided to share them anyway. Once I track down the recipe....

Oh, thank goodness I save everything! I found a sticky note with the recipe in my big orange recipe binder (yay for being somewhat organized!).

It turns out this cookie also came from the book Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella, where my Snickerdoodle recipe was from. Now I remember. I flagged about a hundred recipes (well, at least 35) in the collection of "300 scrumptious recipes for every occasion and craving" and wanted to try baking my way through the book. So far my progress on that has been: two. But now with only one job to worry about and the Christmas cookie season approaching, perhaps I'll be able to get even further in my goal!

But back to bananas and pecans. And oatmeal. Oh I do love a good oatmeal cookie. And it's healthy too. Add some fruit and heart-healthy nuts in there and you really can't call my Oatmeal Banana Pecan Cookies a "guilty pleasure," but rather just a "pleasure." I think. It has been quite a while since I tasted them....

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup dried banana chips (I left this out, having no banana chips)
Optional 3/4 cup pecans (I put this in rather than the other options of chocolate chips or raisins).

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (again, you can use an electric mixer for this, or just your arm muscles). Beat in the banana, egg and vanilla as well.

3.) Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it is well blended. Stir in the pecans. Then drop about 1 Tablespoon-sized mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment (not wax) paper or greased with non-stick cooking spray.

4.) Bake about 8-12 minutes and let cool slightly before eating!

You'll have to let me know how these turned out. Even if my memory's going already, at least I have a blog of recipes and photos to document everything I make so that one day when my memory's really gone I'll still be able to recreate a few treats and pass them along to those with better memories than me.

Easter Treats--2012!

For me, holidays are all about tradition. Family, of course, and tradition, and often times religious backgrounds. I know the true reason Easter exists, but I'm here today to talk about the foods it has inspired me to make from such secular traditions as honoring the iconic animals that have come to symbolize a holiday right smack in the beginning of spring. How could I not dye eggs and bake something for bunnies? Thus I present to you first my recipe for Colored Easter Eggs (my traditional go-to every year) and then a new attempt using a box mix (gasp--yes, I was in a hurry) to create Carrot Cake Muffins.

Colored Easter Eggs

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Hot tap water

Food coloring

Directions:

1.) Fill paper cups about 2/3 of the way full with hot tap water. Add the vinegar and stir.

2.) Place 10-20 drops of food coloring into each cup, stir again, and carefully submerge your egg into the colored water. To get the exact shade of a color you'd like, follow the number of drops recommended on the back of the box. My favorite brand is McCormick, and their food coloring drop tips can be found here.

3.) Leave in 5-10 minutes depending on how dark you want your colors to be. Carefully remove each egg with a plastic spoon and store in the egg carton. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy on Easter morning!

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients:

1 pouch Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake Mix

1 cup hot tap water

1 pouch of carrots and raisins (it comes in the box)

2 eggs

1 stick softened butter

1 cup oats

Directions:

1.) Follow the directions on the box for "Carrot Cake Cookies" but place in a muffin tin lined with paper cupcake liners instead (my cookie attempt did NOT end up tasting as delicious as when I put these into muffin form). First preheat the oven to 350 degrees and rehydrate the carrots and raisins by soaking them in the hot tap water for about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. 

2.) In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and eggs, stir in the oats, then stir in the carrots and raisins.

3.) Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full and bake approximately 12-15 minutes before removing from oven to cool.

Despite the "cookie" recipe, these really did taste best in muffin form. No frosting necessary--they were already quite sweet on their own. And, of course, presentation is everything. I used the Wilton brand Pink Petal baking cups as paper liners to make my muffins look like garden flowers. In the end, both my families (the one at home and the one at the library) were able to enjoy my favorite holiday tradition of all--sharing and eating delicious food together.

The back of the box--recipe at the bottom!

My cookie attempt--in the shape of carrots...kind of....

A beautiful garden!

Breakfast of Champions

Though maybe not as exciting as caramel apples, pancakes, or pie (just wait--the fall pies will be coming soon!), I did take on a couple of mini experiments yesterday to use up ingredients we had around the house. Oats, skim milk, and browning bananas easily turned into a rather healthy family breakfast for this morning: a pot of Oatmeal and a Peachy-Banana Fruit Smoothie. If you're in a hurry and need to feed 3-5 people on a weekday morning, this might just be the way to go.

Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 quart (4 cups) skim milk (or liquid of choice--soymilk, almond milk, water, etc.)
Pinch of salt
2 and 1/2 cups oats

Directions:

1.) Pour the milk into a large pot, add the salt, and bring to a boil on the stove. When bubbles just begin to form (watch it carefully so the milk doesn't scald), stir in the oats and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

2.) Simmer the oatmeal for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reaches your desired consistency. (I like my oatmeal a little more toasty, so I'll leave it on the stove a while. But if you like it creamy, stick to five minutes or less).

3.) Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and enjoy! Also tastes great cold--after being refrigerated overnight--with a fork. Yes, I'm weird. Moving on....

Peachy-Banana Smoothie


Ingredients:

2 medium bananas, sliced
1 package (10 oz) frozen peaches
1 cup light vanilla soymilk (I used Silk brand)


Directions:


1.) Add the bananas, peaches, and soymilk into your blender and blend about 15 seconds, making sure all big chunks are broken up. A few small chunks are okay, especially if you like a thick smoothie like I do. Pour into a glass and top with chopped almonds if you desire. That's it!

The smoothie didn't end up quite as "peachy" as I would have liked, so next time I might up the amount of peaches and cut back on the banana, maybe even using bananas that are slightly less brown, and adding just a touch of honey or other sweetener. Still, it was an experiment using what we had. For the oatmeal, I'd love to test out different liquids (almond milk with a touch of almond extract perhaps) as well as potential flavor additions like maple syrup, brown sugar, dried fruits, and fresh strawberries. Since it is fall, however, I'm leaning everything toward...pumpkin.

Yes, you'd better believe there will be pumpkin treats on this blog before November. If you thought I got excited about making caramel apples....

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies!

If you know anything about me, you know that I like my cakes moist and my cookies dry--well, crispy, so to speak. There's nothing quite like biting into a thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie or a crunchy and crumbly piece of shortbread. However, every once in a while I get a craving for something just a little bit...chewy. Not those chewy granola bars and not a sticky, gummy caramel pop either. I'm thinking: oatmeal.

Unlike my peanut butter cookie experiments, which came out a little too dry on the first try, my first attempt at oatmeal cookies were exactly what I was looking for in an oatmeal cookie--perfect amount of chew with just a hint of molasses flavor from the brown sugar and no unnecessarily add-ins (think raisins, nuts, etc.) taking away from that flavor or making me chew or crunch too hard.

Thus, my traditional Oatmeal Cookie recipe was born:

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened (recommend: microwave ~20 seconds)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
<1 teaspoon salt
<1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups quick cooking oats (can substitute with whole rolled oats)
1 cup whole rolled oats

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.) With an electric mixer (or with a fork whipped very fast, as I did), combine the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat after each. Stir in the vanilla.

3.) In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring after each addition until the flour mixture is well incorporated. Fold in the oats.

4.) Form the dough into small mounds, flattened just slightly on a cookie sheet greased with nonstick cooking spray. Bake approximately 8-10 minutes (7 minutes worked perfectly on mine).

5.) Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Eat and enjoy!

With not too much butter for a cookie recipe (it does make about 36 cookies off just one stick), my traditional whole wheat pastry flour, a touch of applesauce, and two different kinds of oats, you can still count this recipe as a slightly healthier alternative to traditional cookie fare. And it tastes amazing too.  =)