M&M Oatmeal cookies, topped with melted milk chocolate

We had one last bag of leftover candy from Halloween – a bag of plain m&ms.   so I thought “why not bake with them?” 

Note the colors in the middle – red and blue!  Go Bills!

Instead of the usual chocolate chip cookie recipe, I went with oatmeal, for something different.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the individual  doughs for a few hours.  And preheat your oven before baking

  • Ingredients list
  • 8 tbs butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 tbs crisco
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbs plus 2 tsp brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2  cups oats (I used quick pats)
  • 1 cup m&ms

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco and brown sugar.  Add egg, honey and vanilla.  Blend in flour, salt and oats.   Mix in m&ms.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  flatten cookies to desired thickness.

Bake 10 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.

Top with melted milk chocolate.

Store in covered container

Stuffed monster cookies for Championship week Saturday

Keeping my Championship week treat baking going with stuffed monster cookie#.  These have peanu butter, oats, milk chocolate chips and are stuffed with a) Reese’s pb cups

b) double stuff oreos or c) golden oreos. 

The oats make them healthy, right?

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend chilling the individual doughs for an hour or two.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup oats (i used instant)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 cup mini m&ms
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions -in a bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients and oats.  Fold in chips and m&ms.  Scoop out 1 tbs dough and slightly flatten.

Top with a Reese’s pb cup or oreo

Scoop out another tbs of dough, slightly flatten and place on top.

Seal edges.

Chill and hour or two.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container .

A peanut butter cup peaking through

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

football friday week 14- Easy Monster cookies stuffed with Reese’s pumpkins

Monster cookies stuffed with Reese’s pumpkins

I can NOT believe it is week 14 already!  Wow.  Football season goes so fast.  One day it’s the preseason opener and in no time at all, the regular season is almost over.   I needed something quick, so I used the Betty Crocker monster cookies recipe and stuffed them with Reese’s pumpkins.  Another day I will post a complete homemade version. 

I am glad the Bills night games are done.  Those are a killer to stay up for and get up early the next morning!  But last week, with Josh’s hat trick of touchdowns (throwing, running and receiving), it was worth it.

These are easy.  I do chill the dough to keep them from spreading too much.  Remember to preheat your oven  before baking

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 peanut butter cookie mix
  • 1 chocolate chip cookie mix
  • 11/2 cups oats (old fashioned or instant)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups m&ms
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Peanut butter cups

Directions- In a bowl, combine cookies mixes and oats.  Blend in butter and eggs (I used a gand mixer).   Fold in chips and m&ms.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough and evenly form around Reese’s pumpkins.   Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Victory Tuesday treats – 2 days late!

Because the Bills game ended at 1030 Monday night, it was too late to bake victory Tuesday cookies.  Last night, our neighbor chatted us up as we were walking Gracie and it was too late to bake.  So tonight I was determined.  I present iced oatmeal cookies.  Some came out nice and thick like I wanted.  Others spread out.  Next time I will chill the dough for an hour or so and perhaps form the mounds a little higher.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup crisco
  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 1/2 tbs honey or corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 1/2 cups oats (I used a combo of old fashioned and quick)

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco and brown sugar.  Add egg, yolk, vanilla, honey,  salt and cinnamon.  Blend in half of flour and oats.  Blend in other half.  Divide into 18 even size pieces.  Roll into balls and chill and hour or so.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – combine and drizzle on cooled cookies.  Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Wishing you a day filled with peace, joy and love.

Go Bills.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are one of two treats I am bringing into work tomorrow (the other – dark chocolate bars topped with hershey kisses and m&ms.    These cookies are so simple to make and came out great.  No need to wait for butter to soften.  These use vegetable oil.

Since it was humid today, I  popped the individual doughs  in the freezer for a bit to prevent spreading.   Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups instant oats
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine all dry ingredients, including oats.  Mix in oil, then eggs and vanilla.   Blend in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill or freeze for a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on it.  Bake 10 minutes.  Tops will be a little gushy, but bottoms will be browned. Cool completely.   You can pop these in the fridge for a few hours to firm them up, if you want.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  If you make these, let me know how they turn out.  I wish you a day filled with peace, love and joy.

Stuffed Monster Cookies

I haven’t made stuffed cookies in a while, so I figure I would make these monster cookies and stuff them with Reese’s peanut butter cups (and also hershey kisses bc I ran out of Reese’s). You don’t need to stuff these cookies, they are just fine on their own. But I like to step things up a notch, so I stuffed ’em

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, chill the individual cookie dough to prevent spreading. And preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 cups m&ms
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Reeses pb cups or other candy,unwrapped

Directions – cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mix in oats. Fold in chips and m&ms. Scoop out 1/4 cup dough. Divide in half. Slightly flatten one half.

Place 1 Reese’s on top.

Place other flattened half of dough on top.

Cover Reese’s completley.

Chill a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes (no longer). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Doubletree chocolate chip cookies (in case no one brings you one home)

Doubletree chocolate chip cookies

Monday night, I stayed at the Doubletree hotel down the street from work for weather related reasons. (The timing of the snow and uncertainty of the amount that would fall before I needed to leave for work). Anyways, as you know, they give all guests a cookie. When I got home after work on Tuesday, Rob asked “did you bring me a cookie?” I did not, but promised I would make the doubletree cookies. Hilton posted the recipe so I used that, except I left out the cinnamon. Rob wasn’t thrilled about that on a chocolate chip cookie. Next time I think I may try to chill the dough before baking. These spread a ton. (Flat cookies are not my bag)

I did tweak the original recipe, using 1/2 crisco and 1/2 cup butter, as opposed to all butter. Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. These cook at a lower temperature – 300 degrees than the usual for chocolate chip cookies. The directions said bake 20 to 23 minutes. One batch I baked for 20, the 2nd batch 22. I prefer 20 minutes because they are softer.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 1/2 cup butter, grated with a cheese grater
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (pulsed into a fine powder with a blender or food processor)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Blend in flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Mix in chips. Scoop out 3 tbs dough and form tall mounds. I recommend chilling the dough for at least a few hours. Preheat oven to 300 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so oven cycles to right temp. Bake 20 minutes. The Hilton directions say to cool cookies for one hour on cookie sheet. I did not do that 😉 store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I wish you a day filled with peace, love and joy.

Football friday #6 – Monster cookies for a monster football game on Sunday

Go Bills!

For the 5th (!) time since the fall of 2020, the Bills are playing the Chiefs. Both teams are 4-1, and jockeying for the top spot in the AFC. Monster game calls for monster cookies! These are huge, filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, mini m&ms and milk chocolate chips. Go Bills!

Reminders- spoon flour from flour bags into measuring cups to get the right amount. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, cold, grated with a cheese grater or cut into tiny squares
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 yolks
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup m&ms
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions -preheat oven to 400 degrees before baking. Line 2 cookie sheets with nonstick baking liners. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and yolks. Blend in dry ingredients and oats. Mix in m&m and chips. (I actually ised my hands for that last part). Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Flatten slightly. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

That’s a lot of cookie!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you make these, let me know how they turn out!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

On occasion, I am asked “do you ever bake anything healthy?” For the most part, probably not. But today, I present you with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They have oatmeal, so that makes them healthy, right? 😏

Remember – 1) to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. 2) scoop out your dough and then chill it for a few hours. 3) preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

Cookie monster hasn’t gotten to them yet!
  • Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour (scooped from your flour container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – combine dry ingredients, including oats. Add oil. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cuos of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Stagger cookies on prepared sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until you see light golden patches on top. Cool completely.

Frosting cancels out any health benefits, I think!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace, joy and love. Please remember to be kind. We all need kindness