At 4:30AM I took my poodle outside. The sun wasn't up, but the dairy cows in the pasture next-door, affectionately referred to by me as the think-tank, were laying down on the ground, and, just as they often do, making snorting noises. The thing about cows is, when they are laying down, whether you believe the "old wives tale or not, nine out of ten times you can expect rain or a rainy day. While walking my pooch back to the house, I decided to bake cookies today.
Oatmeal, peanut butter & chocolate chip: 3 favorites in 1 cookie.
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature, very soft (1 stick)
1/2 cup lightly-packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached-all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk-chocolate chips
~Step 1. In a large bowl, place butter, brown sugar, sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla. On high speed of hand-held electric mixer, cream ingredients together, while scraping sides of bowl down with a rubber spatula, about 1 full minute. Lower mixer speed to medium and incorporate the flour, baking soda and salt, followed by the oatmeal, scraping down sides of bowl as you mix.
~Step 2. Remove mixer. Using spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Using a 1 3/4" ice-cream scoop as a measure, place balls of cooking dough, well-apart, on each of 2, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans that have been lined with parchment. Bake, one-pan-at-a-time on center rack of 340º oven, 12-14 minutes, until barely browned. Remove from oven and cool, in pans, 3 minutes prior to using a spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely, 1-1 1/2 hours.
Bake in 340° oven, 12-14 minutes, remove from oven & cool in pans 3 minutes, transfer to wire rack to cool completely:
Crispy outside & chewy inside w/a salty edge -- perfection:
Oatmeal Peanut-Butter Milk-Chocolate-Chip Cookies: Recipe yields 2 dozen, 3"-round cookies.
Special Equipment List: hand-held electric mixer; large rubber spatula; 1 3/4" ice-cream scoop; 2, 17 1/2" x 12 1/2" baking pans; parchment paper; thin spatula; wire cooling rack
Cook's Note: For generations, we Americans have had a love affair with chocolate chip cookies. Surveys unanimously and overwhelmingly place the chocolate chip cookie at the top of our all-time favorite cookie list for over three-quarters of our population, and, it all started with the all-American Toll House cookie. Who do we thank for and what's the history behind this iconic cookie? To find out, read my post ~ The Original Nestlé's Toll House Cookie Recipe ~. Trust me. I'm certain you'll find it fascinating.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2023)
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