Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really like to bake. Almost any time, whether it is after a long day at work, or a quiet Saturday afternoon...if there are butter, sugar and eggs in the house, I am ready to bake.

This past weekend I had a great excuse to bake something simple yet satisfying. I was able to see a college friend, whom I had not seen since he graduated 13 years ago, star in musical. Doubly fun was seeing several other alums and having it be a surprise to Steve that we were all coming to see his performance.
I wanted to take something to give him after the show, and was not sure if flowers were what one gives to a male performer. But what one cannot say with flowers, one can definitely say with cookies!

So a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies was made. This is one of my stand-bys, as far as cookie recipes go. It's based on the recipe you can find on the lid of Quaker Oats, but instead of 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 cup of raisins, I halve the cinnamon and add chocolate chips. And this batch even got 2 types of chips... some standard Tollhouse semi-sweet, plus some Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chips. Tim and I are both big dark chocolate fans... and these dark chips have become a new favorite not only in baking (they make great fudge frosting) but also right out of the bag!

As with most cookies, I bake them till medium rare, so that they stay moist and gooey. These normally stay soft when stored in an air-tight container.

The recipe: From the lid of Quaker Oats

1 cup butter (I use Cabot unsalted)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (in original recipe, I use ~1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oats (quick or old fashioned--I use quick)
1 cup raisins (in original recipe-- I use chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350F
Beat butter and sugars until creamy (you can't do this step too long)
Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla

Combine flour, soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl

Add the combined dry ingredients
Stir in oats and chips (or raisins)

Drop by tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Makes 4 dozen

Can also spread into an ungreased 9x13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes to make bar cookies.