Crispy-Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

In my humble opinion, oatmeal cookies should be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Delicious, if done right - and let me tell you, these babies are right. I modified this from Allrecipes and it is perfection. Enjoy them... we are!

Crispy-Chewy Oatmeal Cookies


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment or lightly grease.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla, and maple until well blended. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into batter until well blended. Mix in oats, toffee, and walnuts. Roll doll into walnut-sized balls (about one tablespoon) and place two inches apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Allow to rest on cookie sheet two minutes before transferring to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing to retain the crispy edges.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Nutella-Mocha No Bake Cookies

I confess: I have never been a fan of no-bake cookies. I know that's probably sacrilege at its worst, given that no-bakes are nothing more than a combination of the two greatest foods in the world - peanut butter and chocolate - but it's true. I just didn't care for them.

Lately, though, no-bakes have been popping up on Pinterest (you can follow me @ mandalee65). So has Nutella. And so has this funky coffee thing.

So I got to wondering... what if I swapped out the peanut butter in no-bakes for Nutella, and added instant coffee in place of some of the cocoa? In my head it sounded divine, but I wasn't sure it would play out that way in my mouth.

But oh, I was so right. Holy cow, they are incredible! So naturally, I must share. :) The only change I will make is cutting the butter down to 1/2 cup instead of one full cup.



Nutella-Mocha No Bake Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 c. Nutella
3 c. quick-cooking oats

In a double boiler, heat butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and coffee granules until thoroughly dissolved and right to the point of boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella until melted. Add oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Cool in refrigerator, then store in airtight container with wax paper between each layer of cookies.

Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

I dug up this recipe a few years ago from the internet, and it officially became my Favorite Peanut Butter Cookie recipe ever. :) You get a triple whammy from crunchy peanut butter and PB chips. This is one of those cookies that taste better the longer they sit; in fact, I don't like them much until they cool completely. I found that it's easier to shape the cookies if you put the batter in the fridge for a while before baking and in between cookie sheets. Once cool, they will be slightly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. These cookies do not spread much when baking, so you can cram quite a few on a single cookie sheet.

Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

2 c. crunchy peanut butter

1 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
6 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 c. peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, margarine, and sugars until well blended. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press each ball with fork. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes on cookie sheets until edges are lightly brown. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Makes 10 dozen.

Cappuccino Brownies

Courtesy of my friend Elle, here is a ridiculous easy and absurdly rich brownie recipe. Since they are so rich, I cut them into 1-inch squares to serve

Cappuccino Brownies

1/4 c. hot water
1 tbsp. instant coffee
2 eggs
1 Duncan Hines fudge brownie mix
1/2 c. oil
1 c. cappuccino chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips if you can't find cappuccino-flavored)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease pan for brownies (whichever size you prefer - use the box for reference). Using a whisk, blend coffee and water until completely dissolved. In a large bowl, stir all ingredients until just moistened. Pour in pan and bake according to directions.