Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

Big-D doesn't like raisins. Even when I try to hide them or not tell him that I used raisins in a recipe he knows that I used raisins.

Then one day my Aunt and Uncle from Traverse City came down for a visit. Since Traverse City is the cherry capital of the United States, they brought down some cherries. The cherries that they brought came in many forms dried, fresh and even salsa (yummy). What do you do with dried cherries? Eat them but I prefer the fresh to dried, so they sat in the cupboard until one day I wanted oatmeal cookies.

Big-D will eat dried cherries and I found out he will eat dried blueberries as well, so I have no idea what it is about raisins. However, I did find a few more people that didn't like raisins as well so maybe he isn't that weird after all.

Mix oats and brown sugar together.

Mix egg whites, salt and almond extract together.

Mix egg mixture into the oats mixture.

Add the dried fruit of your choice and bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.

Then stack several cookies on top of each other before eating.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups instant oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup dried fruit

Directions:

• Mix the oats and brown sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl
• Beat the egg whites, salt and almond extract together until frothy in another bowl
• Mix the two bowls together
• Add dried cherries (or whatever fruit you choose)
• Place about 12 cookies on each greased cookie sheet
• Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes

Enjoy,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Insane Brownie Cookie

Big-D's birthday was a couple of weeks and I asked him what he wanted me to make for his birthday snack.

His answer was first brownies and then maybe cookies and then it moved to whatever I wanted to make.

And since I have become slightly addicted to Pinterest and found a pin for these Brownies Cookie Thingys. The recipe came from KevinandAmanda for the cookie bottom recipe and used my own brownie recipe.

Unfortunately the first attempt at making these was a failure...kind of trying to cram making it into a two hour break between classes and didn't check to make sure the brownies were actually done before I pulled it out of the oven.

The first attempt I followed the directions in the recipe to a tee, however, on my second attempt I made it how I would have normally made brownies/cakes. Personally I found that my way worked better for me but I will tell how to make it both ways.

Ingredients for the chocolate chip cookie: flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, two sticks of butter, two eggs and pure vanilla extract.

First mix the granulated sugar and the brown sugar together. Add in the butter and eggs and mix until creamy.

In a different bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture and mix until completely combined.

Finally added the chocolate chips.

The directions from KevinandAmanda had me line a 9x13 inch cake pan with wax paper.

Evenly smooth the chocolate chip cookie dough out.

Next add a layer of Oreos, I used both the Golden Oreos and the Double Stuffed Oreos because well I had both.

Next I made up my very yummy in his tummy brownies. The ingredients for the brownies are: 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 eggs, 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. First mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together. Then beat in the oil, eggs and vanilla extract. 

Pour evenly over the Oreo cookie layer.

In the directions for KevinandAmanda it said to cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in 350°F oven for 30 minutes, remove aluminum foil and then cook for about 15 to 25 more minutes. In my second attempt I skipped this step instead cooked at 350°F until a knife came out clean when stuck into the brownies (ended up being close to 50 minutes).

Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan.

Also while making this lovely treat make sure you dirty every dish that you own...it makes the process much more fun.

Ingredients: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces/1 package) of milk chocolate chips
• 1 package of Double Stuffed Oreos (I used both the Original Double Stuffed and the Golden Double Stuffed)
  

Ingredients: Brownies

• 1 cup of canola/vegetable oil
•  2cups of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

1. Mix the granulated sugar and the brown sugar together. 
2. Add in the butter and eggs and mix until creamy.
3. Using a different bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. 
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture and mixing until completely combined.
5. Add in the chocolate chips.

Directions: Brownies

1. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together. 
2. Then beat in the oil, eggs and vanilla extract.  
3. Mix until completely combined.

 Directions for Insane Brownie:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Smooth out the chocolate chip cookie dough into the bottom of a 9" by 13" cake pan. Either using the wax paper directions like KevinandAmanda or without. Either way works.
3. Layer the Oreos onto the cookie dough, putting them as close to each other as you'd like.
4. Evenly pour the brownie mix on top of the Oreos.
5. Place in the oven and cook until a knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy,
Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Anything Goes Oatmeal Cookies

These are generally healthy cookies...it all depends on what you add to them. Last night I made two versions, a healthy version for me because Big D doesn't eat anything that's actually good for him. So I have to hide the goodness of these cookies by adding mini M&Ms and chocolate chips into the cookies.

I even had him try one of the good for you versions and he came to me with the face of dislike and said "did you put raisins in these cookies?"

I know better then that, I know he doesn't like raisins so why would I give him something with raisins; but I politely responded with "no there are no raisins in it, just other dried fruits that you have eaten before."

I even had to remove the Whey Protein Powder to make a few cookies for Big-D's sister who has LOTS of food allergies and was supposedly allergic to something in the protein powder.

I got this recipe from a P90X email that I received and it sounded yummy and I like healthy things so I thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup whole grain flour
• 1 cup of quick (instant) oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vanilla flavored Whey Protein Powder
• 3/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and/or dried blueberries (I choose dried blueberries & dried cherries) 
• For Big-D's cookies I used 1/2 cup of mini M&Ms and 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Hersey Chips

 Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda and Whey Protein Powder.
• In a small mixing bowl combine the apple juice concentrate and the applesauce,
• Then mix the applesauce and juice mixture to the flour mixture.
• Next mix in the dried cherries and dried blueberries (or whatever else you choose to add in)
• Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and then using a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before placing on wire cooling racks to finish cooling completely.

Look at the yummyness (is that even a word, I don't know but I am making it one now.)

Enjoy,
Love ya
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Peanut Butter Cookies

Since I work with virtually all men (I have one fellow female in an office of 50 people) and I love to bake, I try to bring in goodies for the guys every Friday. This has become a ritual since I started working here. However, this Friday I have "the day off", I actually have to come in on Friday to work third shift so its not really a day off. However, the guys won't see me and I didn't want them to think I forgot about them. I made cookies for them a day early.

Last week the guys that work out in the lab on the other side of the plant from the office,found out that I bring in treats and since many of them don't come to the office they felt left out because they never get any treats.  Okay actually only Mike and Jeremy complained since those are the only two that I really talk to out in the lab. I see Mike every morning at 5 AM (damn farmers are really raisers aren't we) so he is about the only one that I talk to for an hour. Yesterday morning I asked him what his favorite cookies were and he first said 'chocolate chip". I replied with "but chocolate chip is boring." (I made of ton of chocolate chip cookies for deer camp last week and wasn't looking forward to making more.) I would have made them for him if that's what he really wanted though. Anyways he then said "peanut butter cookies are good too."

I  then had to look up a peanut butter cookie recipe because I didn't have one and after a few adaptations this is the one that I came up with. (This recipe contains no flour.)

First combine creamy peanut butter ( I wanted to try half crunchy and half creamy but my mother didn't have any crunchy in her pantry, so I will have to make these again and let you know they go with that combination), granulated sugar and the brown sugar.

Why is peanut butter so messy...?

Then mix with electric mixer until completely combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in the baking soda, vanilla extract and salt, mixing well after each addition as well.

Using the small size cookie scoop, drop the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. If you don't have a cookie scoop (I'd highly recommended getting one)  you can also just roll out about 1 inch balls. Either way will due.

Using a fork press the crisscross pattern into the cookies.

Bake in the oven at 350 ° F for 8 to 10 minutes,until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before place on cooling rack.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of peanut butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 ° F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar and packed brown sugar.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Mix in the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt, also mixing well after each addition.
• Using cookie scoop (or rolling balls in hands) drop cookies onto greased cookie sheet.
• Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are golden brown. 
• Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then place cookies on cooling rack.

Enjoy the cookies with a large glass of milk.

Love,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

PS - I have been given good reviews on this recipe by my taste testers.

December 23rd, 2011 Update: I made these peanut butter cookies again for Mike and the shaft boys, so I made one batch with crunchy peanut butter and they loved them more then the original.

Snicker Cookies

These are Snicker Cookies...not snicker doodles.

So one day as I bored of making just the plain ole chocolate chip cookies for Big D and decided that I wanted to make him a little something different. (Now to remind ya'll I have a chocolate allergy so I can't even eat most of what I make for him.) Sometimes I believe that I really do love him.

Anyways, Snickers are his favorite candy bar in the whole wide world and me being the creative one that I am I decided to chop them up into little pieces and throw them in the cookie. (FYI - chopping up the Snicker bars are not the easy thing in the world.)

Ingredients:

• 2 & 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup ( or 2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room tempature
• 2 cups of chopped up Snicker bars

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small mixing bowl and place off to the side.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Mix until creamy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
• Stir in the Snicker chips.
• Using a tablespoon (or a cookie scoop) to drop onto an ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in oven for 9 to 11 minutes, until golden brown.
• Cool on the cookie sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire cooling racks.

 Well Big D and a few of the guys that I worked with loved my little experiment of a cookie and have requested that I make it again.

Hope you enjoy them too.
Love ya,
A Engineer in the Kitchen