Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

This is for you, Melody! These are the cookie bars I made for game night on Thursday. They are ridiculously easy and so good.

The first time I made them I followed the recipe exactly. When I made them for game night I used unsalted butter, quadrupled the salt, reduced the chocolate by 2 or 3 ounces and pressed it all into a 7x11 pan instead of 11x13. That ended up being my favorite iteration, it definitely needs a little more salt and a little less chocolate and I liked the taller bar that came from the smaller pan. When I made them again on Saturday for a BBQ I used regular salted butter, doubled the salt and did half chocolate and half butterscotch chips, which was also really good.


The original recipe is copied from here (an AWESOME recipe blog. If you're not already reading you might want to start. Everything I've tried from her blog has been a winner).

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars
adapted from 24 Hour Menu

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional – I left these out)

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla till fluffy and add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Press into a greased 9×13 inch pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden brown. I have also doubled the recipe and pressed into a large sheet pan (11X17) with great results.

A few tips: Don’t overbake!!! I overbaked them the first time I made them and when I actually baked them correctly the second time (perhaps even underbaked by a minute), they were 100 times better. Also, the second time I made them, I doubled the recipe and instead of adding two bags of chocolate chunks, I added one bag of chunks and one bag of mint chocolate chips. Fabulous!

Puffy Sugar Cookies

4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and sour cream- mix until blended. Add flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix until blended Dough will be a little sticky. Roll out and leave a little thick. Bake 350 degrees 8-10 minutes, then let cool.

Butter Cream Frosting:
cup butter (2 sticks), softened at room temperature.
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 to 3 tsp milk or cream

Use an electric mixer to cream ingredients together adding a tsp. of milk at a time until desired texture. You don't want it too runny. Frost and decorate!

Black Cookies

2 cups- sugar
1 cube- butter/margarine
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
3 cups oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine 1st four ingredients & heat to a boil. Turn stove down to medium heat for FIVE minutes. Then remove from heat and add oatmeal and vanilla. Mix well. Scoop out spoonfuls on wax paper and let cool.

Very similar to Janell's no bake cookies, this is Kent's family's version....

Never Flat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe--one that makes cookies that are chewy and soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the outside, and that don't get flat or seem too dense. I found this recipe when organizing my cookbooks/recipes this weekend, and decided to try it. I think my search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie may be over--these cookies were SO yummy!

*Note: this makes a large batch, so feel free to half it if you want a smaller/normal sized batch. I rolled the extra dough into balls and froze them for later use.

Combine the following until creamy:
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 lb. (4 sticks) real butter (softened)
2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine the following and then mix with the creamy mixture:
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 heaping cups (1 pkg.) chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

EASY Peanut Butter Cookies

So easy and very good...you won't believe they only have 3 ingredients!

1 C chunky peanut butter (or creamy)
1 C. sugar
1 egg

Combine peanut butter, sugar and egg. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. I always press my cookies down with my hand. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
*This recipe has been with me for a long time...probably because it's so easy to remember! :)

Raspberry Caves with Cinnamon

A raspberry cave is a Swedish short bread cookie filled with jam. I made these for the international-themed potluck at Amelia's school last weekend. They were yummy!

14 T butter, at room temperature
½-3/4 cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
raspberry jam (or use lingonberry, which is a Swedish favorite)
30 medium paper cups (I used regular muffin cups)

Heat the oven to 375° F.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour, combined with baking soda and cinnamon. Divide the dough into 30 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and put in a medium sized paper cup. With your finger, make an indention and fill it with jam.

Bake on a cookie sheet in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies

30-48 mini Reese's cups (one bag)

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

combine butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and peanut butter in a bowl (or mixer). Mix until smooth. Combine flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture and chill. Roll in small balls. Place in greased mini-muffin tin. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove and immediately press mini Reese's (top up) into cookie. Cool for 10 minutes and carefully spoon out of pan. YUM!!!!

No Bake cookies

You've probably all made these ... just another idea for summer treats when you don't want to turn on the oven! They do have peanut butter--sorry Hailey. :(

2 C white sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C milk
1/2 C margarine
1 t vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 C peanut butter
3 C quick cooking oats

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, salt, peanut butter, and oats.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool for 1 hour. Store in an airtight container.

Mrs. Fields Choc. Chip Cookies

* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup butter (real butter)
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. soda
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 2 and 1/2 cups flour
* 2 and 1/2 cups oats
* Any amount of milk choc. cips
* walnuts optional

Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs and beat well.
Add salt, soda, baking powder, and vanilla...mix
well. Next add in the flour and oatmeal. Mix in
the milk choc. cips. Nuts if you choose to add them.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes!
Makes 4 dozen cookies.

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES

**Recipe may be halved**

2 cups butter

24 oz . Chocolate chips

4 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp. Soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 cups sugar

1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)

5 cups blended oatmeal

4 eggs

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp. Vanilla

3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie Sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Betty's Cowboy Cookies

Ingredients:
1 C melted butter
2 t. vanilla
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 C oats
2 3/4 C flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4-1 C chocolate chips (depending on how many you like)
*1/2 C coconut
*1/3 C toffee bits
*1/2 C pecans

Directions:
Cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Drop large tablespoon sized cookies on greased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until tops of cookies (and edges) are lightly browned.

*These items are optional...I add everything, but usually not nuts.

Tawna's Pumpkin Cookies

I have to give my friend, Tawna the credit for this one. It is her recipe that she made for us every fall without fail. They are to DIE FOR!!

• 1 cup shortening (Crisco)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together shortening, sugar and pumpkin. Add egg, mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting:

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 4 tsp. milk
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a small sauce pan melt butter, add milk and brown sugar-- bring to a slight boil. Add sugar and vanilla. Top cool cookies with frosting. Enjoy!!

Ginger Snap Cookies

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
*************************
4 and 1/4 cups flour
4 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves

Cream shortening/butter, sugars, molasses, and eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients. Roll into small balls of dough in sugar, place on cookie sheet (24 to a cookie sheet). Bake 375 degrees for 7 minutes Makes about 80-100 cookies!
*This is really easy and so very yummy! You've all probably tried Bethany P.'s! They are moving up the list of my fav. cookies of all time!