Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Squares

I have a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant in the city with Leigh in an hour!!  I have absolutely no time for a witty commentary on my day.  Enjoy the cookies!

Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Squares

Yield: 20 bars

• 1½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup honey
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries 
• 1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with aluminum foil.  Set aside.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together browned butter, sugar, and honey on LOW speed until combined (I seriously burned my hand today because I started my mixer off on too high of a speed.  Hot melted butter flew everywhere! It solidified before I was ready to wipe everything down, and clean up was really a pain).  Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Beat on medium speed (remember, gradual speed increases are your friend) until fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer to low, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined.  Add in the oats, and then the cranberries and almonds.
4. Pour dough into prepared baking pan.  With greased hands (non-stick cooking spray is awesome!)  pat dough evenly into the pan.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden.  Let cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting.

Dinosaurs!!! (oatmeal cut-outs)

Forgot all the theories you’ve heard about the extinction of the dinosaurs. A giant meteor didn’t crash in present-day Arizona and send a trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere blocking the sun and causing the planet to sink into the Ice-Age. This is what really happened to those poor dinosaurs.

It was a day like any other in prehistory.

The brontosaurus was enjoying his mid-morning snack.

The triceratops was sharpening her horn.

Yet something was not quite right.

An ominous cloud fell over the valley.

DOMO!!!!

With a ferocious roar, Domokun leapt into the valley and started to attack!

That was the beginning of the end for the dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs!!!

Yield: 24-36

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add in sugar, egg, vanilla, butter, and milk (I know this seems really crazy and against everything you’ve ever learned about cookies, but just roll with it–the end result is somthing between pie and cookie dough). Beat on low speed until well blended and mixture comes together, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the oats and beat for another minute.  
3. Working with half the dough at a time, turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll to a 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Cut out various dinosaur shaped cookies (the T-Rex is my favorite).  Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden around the edges.  Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Decorate with your favorite frosting (bailey’s buttercream!!!).   

Breakfast Bars

This recipe is adapted from one by Nigella Lawson.  I absolutely love her! She is bosomy, bottomy, British, and an amazing cook. Can you ask for anything else?   

These bars are absolutely amazing! They are infinitely better than the storebought trail mix bars, and you can control exactly what goes into them.  There’s no HFCS, MSG, or potassium benzoate in these puppies; only wholesome ingredients from your pantry.

Breakfast Bars

Yield: 16 bars

Breakfast Bars

• 1 14-fl-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2½ cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup dried apricot, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup crushed almonds
• 1 cup peanuts

Your Mom Cookies

Question: Why are these called Your Mom Cookies?

Answer:  Because they’re cheap and easy (just like your mom)!

Your Mom Cookies

Yield: 6 cookies

• 2 packets maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal
• 1 egg
• ¼  cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• handful of raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
3. Drop dough on prepared baking sheet into 6 large rounds.  Flatten slightly with a juice glass dipped in sugar.
4. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden around the edges.  
5. Let rest on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely (Who am I kidding with this last step? This recipe makes six cookies.  You’re going to eat them as soon as they come out of the oven, aren’t you? Don’t worry.  No one will judge you–except maybe your cat).

Mocha Oatmeal Drops

I thought that the chocolate chips would stay somewhat solid when stirred into the batter.  I was sorely mistaken.  Don’t get me wrong, the cookie does have a very nice mocha flavor, but I was hoping for a mostly coffee flavored cookie with little bits of chocolate sprinkled throughout.   Perhaps this particular flavor combo would be better presented in a classic drop cookie.

On a side note, spell check just crashed in wordpress.  I tend to make a lot of typos–have fun deciphering this recipe without it!!

Mocha Oatmeal Drops

Yield: 24ish cookies

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely ground
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar, butter, instant coffee, and milk to a rolling boil.  Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
2. Stir in vanilla extract, hazelnuts, oats, and chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper.  Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These aren’t what my family considers chocolate-oatmeal cookies.  We always called Morning-After Cookies chocolate-oatmeal cookies.  But since that recipe isn’t truly a cookie, I think this version is more deserving of the name.  Also, I like these better.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 18 LARGE cookies

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, stirring to remove any lumps. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and honey together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add in the vanilla extract, beat until smooth.  Adjust the mixer to low, add in the flour mixture; beat until just combined.  Add in the oats; beat until thoroughly combined.
4. Drop dough by HEAPING tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, 6 per sheet.  Lightly roll dough into a ball and flatten with the palm of you hand into a disk.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cracked on top and golden around the edges.  Let rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.