i’m a true foodie.  i watched “cooking for real” with sunny anderson on foodnetwork that featured this recipe wayyyyyy back in 2008.  i’ve been thinking about making these cookies ever since.  i finally did it today!  i should have started making these cookies much sooner.  they remind me of my favorite flavor of instant oatmeal: peaches n’ cream.  just as an fyi, this recipe easily doubles.

• 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 c light brown sugar
• 1/4 c dark brown sugar
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 c rolled oats (use the old-fashioned)
• 1/2 c chopped dried peaches
• 1/2 c chopped pecans
• 1/2 c white chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350°.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  slowly add egg and continue mixing.  slowly add flour mixture, oats, peaches, pecans and white chocolate chips.  mix until combined.
3. line trays with parchment papers (or use non-stick baking sheets, like i do).  with wet hands, form balls from the dough, placing evenly among the cookie trays.  press down on cookie dough with the palm of your hand to make a flat circle.
4. bake for 10-12 min. or until golden and a bit tender in the center.  remove from oven and let sit on trays for 1 min.  remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

here are some ideas for next time: 

• add ginger and/or cinnamon… the cookies may be a bit bland and a bit of spice would give them some oomph!
• sub. dried strawberries for the peaches and milk chocolate chip for the white chocolate chips… voila! chocolate-covered strawberry oatmeal cookies.

if you try these variations, let me know how they turn out!

enjoy!

since i have started blogging about food, i have enjoyed looking around at other blogs.  i think it’s really cool to see what other people are making and i recently ran across this blog: the cupcake project.   the blog’s author stef loves cupcakes and baking and i found a lot of awesome recipes on her blog.  one of which was the gem below.

notes:  i added green dye to my filling for two reasons.  1.)  i had butter-flavored crisco on hand and it changed the frosting to a pale yellow that needed to be changed stat and 2.)  st. paddy’s day is just around the corner!

chocolate wafers

• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg

1. preheat oven to 375°.
2. in a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt and sugar.
3. beat in the butter and the egg.  continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
4. roll out the dough onto a clean counter surface and cut using various cookie cutters.  (i used small circles and stars.)
5. bake for 9 min.  set on a rack to cool.

filling

• 1/4 c room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 c vegetable shortening
• 2 c sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
2. turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 min. until filling is light and fluffy.  you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. to make a cookie, pipe teaspoon size blobs of cream into the cooking using a pastry bag with a 1/2″ round tip.   (i used a star tip and i think it made it prettier.)
4. place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream.  lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie.  continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

enjoy!

so i was in the mood for cookies.  really, i think i am in a perpetual mood for cookies/chocolate/sweets.  :)  i found these babies in my good housekeeping cookbook.  it’s the first recipe that i’ve ever made from this cookbook and i’m pleased with the results!

• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 c pecans, chopped
• 1 c chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 325°.  grease two large cookie sheets.  in a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
2. in the microwave, melt 3/4 c chocolate chips and butter in 30 sec. increments on high heat.  stir after every 30 sec.  allow to cool.
3. in a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until light, about 2 min., frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula.  reduce speed to low.  add cooked chocolate mixture, flour mixture, and vanilla; beat just until blended.  increase speed to medium; beat 2 min.  stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
4. drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2″ apart, on cookie sheets.  with small metal spatula,  spread batter into 2″ rounds.  bake until tops are shiny and cracked, about 13 min.  rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through baking.  cool 10 min. on cookie sheet.  with wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
5. repeat with remaining batter.  makes about 48 cookies.

and for my weight watching friends:

nutrition info (per cookie): 102 calories, 1 g protein, 9g carbohydrates, 7 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 14 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium

enjoy!