Cinnamon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was rainy and dreary last Monday and I was craving some comfort sweets - and I had a big can of oats in my cupboard, along with a few  random bags of leftover chocolate chips.  So I decided to make some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which have always been a favorite of mine.

I adapted this recipe from my favorite cookbook - the classic Joy of Cooking.

The recipe is below, but the ingredients are pretty basic.  First I preheated the oven to 350.  In a small bowl, I whisked together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl I creamed butter and sugar then added 2 eggs and vanilla.

I liked this speckled egg!

Once the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla were combined, I slowly added in the dry ingredients, then stirred in the oats and chocolate chips.  I had both mini and regular size chocolate chips in my cupboard, so I used those.



Oats, Oats, lots of Oats...

Roll them into 1-inch balls on a baking sheet... then, bake for ~13 minutes , pour a glass of cold milk and enjoy!  This recipe makes a lot of cookies, but one of my favorite things about these cookies is how well they freeze, so that when I'm craving one it's easy to take one out to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp ground cinnamon
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla
4 c oats
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar.  Once blended, beat in the brown sugar, then add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

Slowly add the flour mixture.  Once combined, stir in the oats and chocolate chips.  Put the dough in the fridge for ~10 minutes to firm up (which makes it easier to roll the dough).

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 350 for ~13 minutes.

Make like this guy and EAT!

So there are a lot of random things that are fairly common foods to make that I have never even attempted to bake/cook.  I decided to record them on here – my goal is to attempt all of these before my (gulp) 26th birthday, which is in early September – so approximately 6 months.  Hopefully having them here for all the world to see will give me extra incentive to actually try all these and not just resort to my tried & true recipes!

Without further ado, here are my top Foods To Make Before I Enter My Late-Mid Twenties.

The Baked Goods (aka the majority of this list)

·         Fudge - I know, the simplest thing ever – or so I’ve heard

·         Pillow Cookies - essentially a brownie stuffed into a cookie.  I’ll have to save this for a diet-busting day

·         S’mores Cupcakes – I love s’mores. I love cupcakes. These should make me ecstatic (which means “like, really really happy” as Deena from Jersey Shore taught us last night)

·         Popovers – I’ve tried Jordan’s popovers in Bar Harbor.  I don’t expect mine to be nearly this good.

·         Layer Cake – I’ve never made one of these from scratch.  I tend to stick to smaller, more manageable treats.

·         Bread – I’d like to try honey wheat, but any (non-dessert) bread will do!

·         Soft Pretzels – from SCRATCH (sorry Crate & Barrel, I loved your kit but it’s time for me to put on my big girl pants and venture into the great world of pretzel-making on my own!)

·         Angel Food Cake – one of my favorite desserts when I was younger; I’ve always used the store-bought variety (I know, boo! hiss!)

·         Shortbread – I LOVE shortbread, but have never attempted it.  I once tried butter cookies and they were nothing short of a DISASTER; I think it scared me off all similar recipes.

·         Cappuccino Cupcakes – a special request from my boyfriend, who is a weirdo and doesn’t like sweets, and usually just humors me by having a bite or two of my baked goods. 

·         Cake Pops – I love Bakerella’s website; and love looking at all the images of these cute pops.  But I’ve always been too afraid/lazy to make them.

·         Whoopie Pies - normal sized ones this time. 

The “Real Food”

·         Beef Stew – nice n’ hearty; I better make this before the weather warms up!

·         Roast Chicken – yup.

·         Soup – any soup. I’ve only ever used the canned variety.  I’d like to conquer this; or at least attempt it.

·         Macaroni and Cheese – the possibilities are endless.. truffle oil, bacon, spinach, oh my!

Obviously I’ll record my successes (and failures!) here.  Godspeed to me!