Updated Post II- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!  If you noticed from the title, this is the 3rd time that I'm sharing these cookies with you.  Why?  Well, there are a few reasons.

First of all, the photography in take one was pretty terrible 😂😬.  The pictures in take two were okay.  I'm hoping that today's photos, shot with my DSLR will make you want to eat what's on the screen.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right?


Also, these cookies are just so good 😋!  Let's face it- how can you go wrong when you fill a cookie dough with chewy oats, rich peanut butter, and decadent chocolate?

Lastly, I have several funny stories associated with these cookies.  Of course, every recipe has one story or another, but these cookies have more than one.

First, I'll start with when I make these cookies.   True confession: in spite of how delicious these cookies are, I hardly ever make them 🙊.  When I do make them, however, it's usually for a road trip.  The heartiness of these cookies gives them structural integrity and makes them filling, which makes them perfect for road trips where snacks that won't totally fly everywhere and that stave off hunger are requisite.

The next anecdote that relates to these cookies is an incident that occurred in the process of making them.  My friend Beth came over and we were starting to make these cookies together.  In an attempt to open a bag of chocolate chips, she vigorously tried to open up the bag.  Beth's technique worked a little too well; some of the chocolate chips flew out of the bag and all over the floor.  It was definitely a memorable experience.

Finally, I have one more story about these cookies to share with you.  One time, one of my family members, (who normally makes delicious food), decided to make these cookies.  In the spirit of adventure and experimentation (and probably to help clear out the freezer), said family member added not just chocolate chips to these cookies, but cinnamon chips.  Suffice it to say, this addition yielded very unique cookies.  While in my opinion cinnamon goes nicely with chocolate and with peanut butter and that peanut butter goes well with chocolate, all three strong flavors in one cookie recipe resulted in cookies with a cacophony of flavors.   Even though you've now heard what happened when one of my family members changed this recipe, I think it's safe to say that not all changes to this recipe would be fatal.  Not a chocolate person?  Raisins or dried cranberries in these cookies would probably be lovely in lieu of the chocolate chips.  Like variety?  Try adding a few handfuls of trail mix to this cookie dough.  Are you a cookie purist?  Simply omit the chocolate chips and you'll be left with utterly satisfying peanut butter oatmeal cookies.

However you end up tweaking or not tweaking today's recipe, one thing is certain:  after you taste these cookies, you'll do all in your power to keep a stash of them in your freezer for impromptu gatherings and/or midnight snacks.

A recipe from this website was slightly changed to bring you today's recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram.  I look forward to posting again on Monday 😊.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together the oats through the salt, then set aside.

3.  In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the peanut butter and butter until smooth.

4.  Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract to the peanut butter mixture, beating until combined.

5.  Stir the oat mixture into the wet ingredients.

6.  Fold the chocolate chips into the dough.

7.  Using a 1.5 T. cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls and flatten each ball with a fork, forming a criss-cross pattern.

8.  Bake the dough in the preheatd oven for 8 minutes.

9.  Enjoy, storing at room temperature for up to 3 days and freezing for at least a month