Photo #34/365: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am partial to cookies, and a snow day is the perfect time to bake a batch of cookies. This is a recipe that I got from someone on Twitter. I don't remember who the recipe was from originally, but I know that @BarbinNebraska shared it with me. There is a lot of goodness packed into these cookies.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• MIX IN LARGE BOWL:
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ADD:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 2 cups chocolate chips (1 bag)
• pinch of salt
Directions

1. Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl
2. Add remaining 5 ingredients and mix together
3. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes
5. Let cool on tray a couple minutes before removing to allow to stiffen
6. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
7. ALTERATION:
8. -If you use all natural peanut butter you'll find the batter creamier
9. -With regular peanut butter if you find the batter a bit stiff add a few tablespoons of milk to bring consistency to your liking

Photos #21, 22, and 23: Celebrate!

Photo #21: New iPads



These photos are unrelated, but I'm doing a little catch up with this post. Photo #21 is a shot of our new iPads. Our building recently purchased 24 new iPads to be dispursed to classes in the building. I am still housing the original ten iPads that we purchased last May, which means my class gets to use them most days.

Photo #22: Staff Celebration




December is such a busy time, that our staff waits until January to hold a get together. This year we had dinner at Okiboji Bar and Grill in Ankeny. We had a good turn out and lots of fun. Unfortunately most of my photos were too dark, but this a great shot of two of our kindergarten teachers. Our third teacher returned from maternity leave on Friday, so she was more interested in getting home to her new baby than hanging out with us. I can't say that I blame her.

Photo #23: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies




I've been wanted to bake these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for awhile now, and I finally got around to it this morning. This recipe is from Angela Pritchett (my cousin-in-law). This recipe is from her Mom, who recently passed away. Angela is remembering her Mom by sharing her recipes and memories through her blog. You'll find the recipe at Recipes from my mom.

Photo #352: New Cookie Press

People that know me well, can tell you that I used to be pretty hooked on QVC. Whenever someone would ask where I got something, the answer was usually QVC. Now days, I usually avoid watching. Every now and then, however, I succumb. I am particularly vulnerable to the kitchen shows. Such was the case about two weeks ago, when I just had to have a Cuisenart electric cookie press. It arrived about a week ago, but I just got around to using it today.



After studying the recipes in the book that came with it, I decided to make the sugar cookie dough. I mixed it up, using my Kitchenaid stand mixer, which I also purchased from QVC a few years ago. Then I tried to assemble the cookie press. After spending twenty minutes looking for the missing shaft and shaft adapter, which it turns out were already installed inside the cookie press, I was finally ready to begin.




I think it's going to take a while before my cookies look like the cookie press cookies you see in cookbooks and magazines. The book says it takes practice, and I would say I need more. I placed the cookies beside my snowman on the sled to make them look better. I think a bunch of frosting would help too.

Photo #342: English Tea Cakes

During the month of December, there is food-a-plenty in the teacher's lounge at Phillips. Members of the staff bring treats almost every day of the month. We do it by floors. Third floor, which is grades 3 through 5, is responsible for the first week. Last night, I finally got myself motivated enough to do some baking.

These English Tea Cakes are a favorite of mine. I found the recipe in the Taste of Home Baking Classics. The recipe came originally from Beverly Christian of Fort Worth, Texas.

These elegant looking cookies are really very simple. I love the combination of pecan and buttery sugar cookie, and I really like the way they look. They come out perfectly round, because they are baked in a mini-muffin pan. My one piece of advice is that it's better not to think about how much delicious creamy butter is in these little cookies.

English Tea Cakes

2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
60 walnut or pecan halves, toasted

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into greased miniature muffin cups; flatten slightly. Press a walnut or pecan half into the center of each cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack. Yield: 5 dozen.