CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

This recipe is part the Mom's Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina where each month a different food is posted and participants make a recipe of another blogger and all are posted at the same time.   For further details, click here.

This month's challenge was chocolate chip cookies and I chose a chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies by Jessica at How Sweet It Is  as the addition of oatmeal makes it sound more healthy than just a regular cookie.
It had a nice flavor and the texture was someone between a cookie and a chewy muffin.

I made larger cookies and it made 15.

Preheat oven to 375.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips, could use
• 1- 2 tablespoons milk (optional if dough is crumbly)

Allow butter to come to room temperature, then cream together until smooth (I don't own a mixer so I used my hand blender, but in the past have used a fork).

 

 This is what is looked like when blended.

Add egg and vanilla for about two minutes or well mixed.

Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, then add the oats.  If it is still crumbly add 1 tablespoon of milk, if needed add 1 more tablespoon of milk.

Fold in chocolate chips.

The original recipe advised refrigerate for 30 minutes, remove and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls that are 2 inches apart for 9-11 minutes

Instead, I used tablespoons to drop heaping tablespoons on parchment paper without refrigerating and they were done at around 8 minutes, but could vary depending the oven - I would recommend checking at 8 minutes.





Be sure to check out the other participants recipes below.  Next month;'s challenge is mashed potatoes and will be posted November 7th.  If you would like to join the party, visit Mom's Crazy Cooking.

Have a yummy weekend!

Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sauce)

 Tzatziki sauce is a yogurt/cucumber sauce used in Greek cooking, usually on meats, gyros, souvlaki.  It can also be used as a dip for fresh vegetables or even diluted and used as a salad dressing.

This recipe is from Food.com
http://www.food.com/recipe/tzatziki-greek-yogurt-cucumber-sauce-ww-core-312799
and also heavy on the garlic, which I love, but if you don't use one or two cloves instead.

It has a creamy clean garlicky taste and works well with spicy foods.  I have used it on a spicy rice with peppers stuffed in tortilla (although traditionally pitas are the bread of choice).   I also what was left over with a little bit of milk and used it on a salad.

The recipe:

• 1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt 
• 1 medium or 1/2 of a large cucumber
  
• 3 cloves garlic 
• Salt
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Dill 
• Pepper

Scoop seeds out of cucumber with a spoon (the original recipe advises to peel, but I prefer unpeeled).

Grate the cucumber and mince the garlic.

Generously saturate with salt I  used about 25 shakes to and let set for 10 minutes to draw out the moisture and keeps it from becoming soggy.

Strain the mixture in a a strainer or cheesecloth to get out at much of the moisture as you can.












Put back in a bowl and add the Greek yogurt and the dill, mix thoroughly.

Add pepper (I used 6 turns on the pepper mill) and mix.

If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 7-10 days.

Carmel Crunch Topping

This recipe is adapted from this recipe at Food.com by celestial_star03.  The above doesn't have the crispy rice cereal in it as I prepared it in advance for a Carmel Apple Pizza (will post that on 10/20/11 as it is part of food challenge by Lady Behind The Curtain) but I did also try it on ice cream mixing in the cereal after heating and it was delicious. 

Recipe:

-   1/4 cup butter

-   1/3 cup almonds, chopped

-   1/3 cup light corn syrup

-   1/3 cup packed brown sugar

-   1/3 cup peanut butter 

-   1/3 cup water

-   1/3 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed 

Melt the butter in a pan.  Saute the almonds over medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes or until the almonds brown.

Add the corn syrup, water and brown sugar to the pan

Mix thoroughly.

Add peanut butter and mix.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until it becomes bubbly and starts to thicken up.

If serving over ice cream, add crisp rice cereal and stir in and the spoon over ice cream.

If storing, do not add Crisp Rice cereal until just before ready to serve.  Heat up first (put in bowl and microwaved) then add Crisp Rice cereal and pour over ice cream.

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