Apple Oatmeal Cookies-Secret Recipe Club

The blog Mostly Food and Crafts was my assigned blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club.  Danielle has been blogging since 2010 and co-hosts the Friday Frenzy blog hop.  She also does a post each week called, “What I Pinned This Week + Other Stuff” that is always fun to check out.

I have made several recipes from this blog including Slow Cooker Peking Chicken, Garlic Potato Fries, and Slow Cooker Char Sui Pork.  All were very good, and I will be making them again.  Some recipes that I want to try are Apple Meatloaf and Bread Machine English Muffins.

Since it is no secret how much I love cookies, since I live in the heart of apple-growing country, and since it is apple picking time, my recipe choice for this post was Apple Oatmeal Cookies.  The only changes I made was to double the recipe (When I make cookies, I want to make lots of them.) and I doubled the amount of spice since I like a spicy cookie.  I chose to use apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon.

The recipe did not state the type of oats to use so the first time I made the cookies, I used old-fashioned oats.  The cookies did not spread much and made somewhat small dome shaped cookies.

I made the cookies again using quick oats.  These cookies came out looking more like the ones in Danielle’s photo.  They were very tender and fell apart easier than the one made with the old-fashioned oats.  I may have needed to bake them a little longer.

Both batches of cookies were devoured very quickly, and I will be making them often.  I think that adding some toasted, chopped nuts would really send these over the top.

Great recipe, Danielle.  Thanks.  Be sure to check out Mostly Food and Crafts for delicious recipes and other fun stuff.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies
from Mostly Food and Crafts
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon or apple pie spice
2 c. oats, quick or old-fashioned
1 medium apple, peeled and diced

Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.  Combine flour, soda, salt and cinnamon or apple pie spice in a small bowl and mix well.  Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture and mix until well combine.  Add oats and apple.  Mix until well blended.  The dough will be somewhat stiff.  Using a teaspoon or a cookie scoop drop dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cookies cool slightly before removing from pan to cool.  Makes about 70 cookies.

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Chocolate Streusel Bars

We are now in the second half of 2013's Christmas Treats hosted by Brenda from Meal Planning Magic.  I can't believe that we are this close to Christmas.  My sweet treat this week is Chocolate Streusel Bars.

I have mentioned before how much I like streusel; and, of course, I like chocolate, so what could be better than a layer of chocolate and nuts wedged between two layers of streusel?  Not much, I think.

This is an easy recipe.  You just make the streusel, pat half of it in the baking pan, melt the chips and milk together, pour over the base, add the other half of the streusel and bake.  The hardest part is waiting for the cookies to cool.

I make my own sweetened condensed milk most of the time, but if I am feeling lazy, I purchase it at the store.  A hint for those of you who live where there is a large Hispanic population.  Look in the Hispanic aisle for Nestle La Lechera.  It usually is less expensive than the Eagle Brand.

Although I used milk chocolate chips and sunflower seeds for the cookies in the photos, I consider this a basic recipe and have used other chip flavors and other nuts.  Some combinations I have made are butterscotch chips and pecans, white chocolate chips and almonds, peanut butter chips and peanuts, mint chips and walnuts.  You can mix and match till your heart is content.

The cookies tend to be a bit crumbly.  It is streusel after all.  When serving these on a cookie platter, I just shake them gently over the pan, before I add them to the platter.

The recipe is adapted from a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe from many years ago.

Chocolate Streusel Bars
2 1/2 c. flour
2 c. quick rolled oats
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. soft butter or margarine
1/2 to 1 pkg. cooking chips, semi-sweet or other flavor
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts of your choice (or sunflower seeds)

In a large mixer bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, soda and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  (I do this I with my electric mixer using the whisk attachment on low to medium speed.)  Pat  half (about 3 1/2 cups.) of the mixture into a foil-lined 10x15-inch baking pan, crumbling any large pieces of butter with your fingers.  Set remaining mixture aside.  In a medium saucepan combine cooking chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter and salt.  Heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.  Carefully pour chip mixture over the crumb crust spreading out from the center in an even layer.  Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the chocolate mixture, again crumbling any large pieces of butter with your fingers.  Pat crumbs mixture down firmly with the palm of you hand.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack and cut into bars.  Makes about 48

Do you have a favorite Christmas treat or two that you would like to share?  Go here to learn how you can.

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Butterfinger Peanut Butter Bars-12 Weeks of Christmas Treats

The recipe for week 4 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, hosted by Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic, is one that I have been making for at least 40 years.  The original recipe came from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook called “Homemade Cookies.”  These were a favorite of my children when they were growing up.  The book is taped together in places and food stained from all the years of using it.  A few years ago, I misplaced the cookbook and did not know what had happened to it.  Believe me, I was one happy gal when the book turned up.

The cookies have always reminded me a bit of Butterfinger candy bars, so some time back I decided to play that up and started sprinkling crushed Butterfinger bars over the top before the dough was baked.  This adds a nice little extra when you bite into a cookie.  I use 2 to 4 regular size Butterfinger bars, depending on my mood.

The cocoa frosting is one of my favorites.  It is easy to make and takes ingredients that I always have on hand.  It is much like the frosting that is on the chocolate bars (like maple bars) that you can get at grocery store bakeries.

The bars are sturdy enough to go well in a lunch box but elegant enough to add to a Christmas cookie tray.

The original recipe used shortening, but I have always used butter with no problem.  If not using unsalted butter, omit the salt.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Bars
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1.2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 t. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt (omit if not using unsalted butter)
1 c. quick-cooking oats
2 to 4 regular size Butterfinger candy bars, crushed
2 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
3 T. melted butter
1/2 t. vanilla
2 to 3 T. hot water

Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until well blended.  Add vanilla, egg and milk; beat well.  Stir together flour, soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture, mixing just until well blended.  Stir in oats.  Spread dough in a foil-lined and non-stick sprayed 9x13-inch pan.  Sprinkle crushed Butterfinger candy bars evenly over to the top of dough.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Measure sifted confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl.  Sift cocoa into sugar or put through a sieve with the back of a spoon.  Mix sugar  and cocoa together until well blended.  Combine melted butter, vanilla and 2 T. of the water.  Mix well.  Add to the sugar/cocoa mixture and beat until smooth.  If mixture seems a bit stiff, add an additional tablespoon of hot water.  Spread frosting evenly over the cooled pan of bars.  Let frosting set and cut into bars.  Makes about 36 bars.

 There is still plenty of time to join us and share some of your favorite Christmas Treats.  Just go to this post at Meal Planning Magic to sign up.  To see what other bloggers have created this week, check out the links below.

Show and Share Wednesday
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Wow Me Wednesday at Ginger Snap Crafts
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Show Off Your Stuff Party
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Your Whims Wednesday
Wednesday Whatits
Wonderful Wednesday

Tuna Cake Burgers-Secret Recipe Club

 

My assigned blog for October’s Secret Recipe Club was Fit Mama Real Food.   I suppose that this is kind of a redo as this is the same blog that I had in August.  Now this was OK because I got to make another recipe from Heather’s blog.  Besides I enjoy reading the posts about her adorable little boy.   Of course, I found several new recipes that I want to try, especially  Creamy Cheddar Broccoli Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers, and that Chocolate Dutch Baby looks as if it is to die for.

I mentioned in my post back in August that  one of Heather’s recipes that had captured my eye was Tuna Cakes.  My hubby does not eat fish so I rarely make anything from fish at home.  If I do have fish, it is usually something frozen from Groton’s or Van de Kamp's.  Fortunately, hubby was going 4-wheeling this weekend and was not going to be home for lunch.  The perfect time for me to try the Tuna Cakes.

I made a few changes to Heather’s recipe.  First of all, I only had 5-oz. cans of tuna on hand, not the 7 oz. can that the recipe called for.  I chose to up the amount of tuna to two cans or 10 oz.   I added a tablespoon of instant minced onion and 1/4 t. coarse black pepper.

I did not have the chickpea flour that Heather used so chose to go with her recommended substitute of ground oat flour.  I always have both old-fashioned and quick oats on hand.  I used 1 c. of old-fashioned rolled oats ground into flour in my food chopper.  This amount still made quite moist cakes so I think that next time I will use 1 1/2 c. of rolled oats
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I wanted an extra crispy exterior on my cakes so I coated them with some panko crumbs before frying them.

I ate a tuna cake burger style, with a toasted bun, tartar sauce, pickle slices and tomato slices.  Since I like cheeseburgers, next time I may melt a slice of cheddar cheese over the tuna cake.  The tuna burger was very good, and I have three cakes left over to warm up and make more burgers for my lunches at work this week.

Thanks, Heather, for a great recipe that will be in my regular round up of recipes for lunch at work.

Tuna Cake Burgers
adapted from Fit Mama Real Food
2 eggs
1 T. instant minced onion
1/4 t. coarse ground pepper
2 t. Old Bay Seasoning
2 cans (5 oz. ea.) tuna in water, well drained
1 to 1 1/2 c. old fashioned or quick oats
1-2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
4 hamburger buns, toasted
tartar sauce or mayonnaise
pickles and/or tomatoes as desired

Break eggs into a small bowl and beat well.  Add instant minced onion, ground pepper, and the Old Bay Seasoning.  Let stand 10 minutes to soften the onion.  Add the well drained tuna.  In a food chopper or blender whirl oats until very finely ground.  Add to tuna mixture and mix well.  Let stand a few minutes to allow the mixture to thicken slightly.  Cover the bottom of a 10-12-inch frying pan with vegetable oil.  Heat..  While oil is heating, place panko in a shallow pan.  Form tuna mixture into four patties and coat on both sides with the panko crumbs.  Cook on one side in the hot oil, about 3 minutes.  Turn and cook on second side another 3 minutes until both sides are golden brown.  Makes 4 cakes.  Serve on toasted hamburger buns, spread with tartar sauce or mayonnaise and pickles and or tomatoes as desired.

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3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix

Today’s post is part of Commentathon hosted by Blogelina where each of us have pledged to visit all the other posters in the group and leave a comment.  We are hoping for 50 comments each.  Tanya said to do a epic post.  I am not sure that I can do epic, so I am sharing what I started this blog to share:  quick and easy comfort recipes to make cooking easier.  3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix does just that.

The mix makes oatmeal cookies, muffins and pancakes, hence the name 3-Way.  Of course, the mix can be used to just make cookies if one prefers.

All the individual recipes are basic so they can be varied with additions such as raisins, chopped dates, dried fruits, different kinds of nuts and candy chips.  I used dried cranberries in the muffins and butterscotch chips and toasted, chopped walnuts in the cookies in the photos.

Although you can use all old-fashion or quick oats in the mix, I prefer to use half of each.  I also prefer to toast the oats which helps give the mix a nutty flavor.  To toast the oats, spread two baking pans with 2 cups oats each.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after every 5 minutes, until the oats are a light golden brown.  Let cool.

If you wish to omit the dry milk powder, use milk in the individual recipes instead of water.

I have been making this mix for years.  The original recipe came from an article in our local newspaper printed in March 1988.  Yes, I really do keep old recipes.

3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix
4 c. uncooked rolled oats, old-fashioned or quick cooking, toasted if desired
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. unbleached or regular flour
1 c. nonfat dry milk powder
3 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 lb. butter or margarine, softened (I use butter)

If you have a large Kitchenaid type mixer, this can be mixed completely with the mixer.  If you have a smaller mixer, it may be started in the mixer, but will probably need to be finished by hand.  Combine oats, flours, dry milk powder, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Put butter in a large bowl of a electric mixer.  Beat butter until creamy.  With mixer on low speed, gradually add as much of the dry ingredients as possible.  If you can add all of the dry ingredients, continue mixing until fine, even crumbs are formed.  If you cannot add all the dry ingredients, finish with a pastry blender or rub mix between your fingers.  Store mix tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.  Makes about 10 cups mix.  Use to make Oatmeal Muffins, Oatmeal Pancakes, and Oatmeal Cookies.

Oatmeal Muffins
1 egg
2/3 c. water
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar, regular or brown
2 1/4 c. 3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix
1/2 c. raisins or other chopped, dried fruit
1/2 c. chopped, toasted nuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg with the water and vanilla.  Add sugar  and Mix, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in raisins or other fruit and nuts if using.  Spoon into 12 medium muffin cups.  Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown.  Makes 12 muffins.  Note:  these muffins do not rise very high, if you want higher muffins, fill only six muffin cups or double the recipe.)

Oatmeal Pancakes
2 eggs
1 c. water
1 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. 3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix

Beat eggs with water until well blended.  Stir in brown sugar and Mix, beating until fairly smooth.  Let batter stand 5 to 10-minutes to allow it to thicken.  Spoon batter onto a heated, lightly greased griddle or skillet making 3-inch pancakes.  Cook until all bubbly on top, turn and brown on second side.  Remove and keep warm.  Continue until all batter has been used.  Makes 8 to 12 three-inch pancakes.  Note:  For lighter pancakes, separate eggs, mixing egg yolks with the water.  Beat egg whites until moist peaks form and gently fold into pancake batter after 3-Way Baking Mix has been added.

Oatmeal Cookies
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon or other spice of choice (optional)
1/3 c. water
3 c. 3-Way Oatmeal Baking Mix
1 c. raisins, chopped dates or other dried fruit, candy chips (optional)
1/2 c. chopped, toasted nuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter or margarine with brown sugar.  Beat in egg, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.  Add water and beat well.  Stir in Mix until well blended.  Add in raisins, dates, dried fruit or chips and nuts, if using.  Drop by rounded teaspoonsful 2-inches apart onto a well-greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 12 to 14minutes.  Remove cookies to a wire rack,  Cool and store in covered container.  Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Do you make homemade mixes?  If so, what is your favorite mix to make.  If not, who not?

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Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bars

I am still getting lots of zucchini from my daughter so there will be at least a few more zucchini recipes posted here.  Truth be told, hubby does not like zucchini except in sweets so that is what I use the zucchini in most often.

For some time now I have been wanting to use Smucker's Apple Cinnamon Topping in a cookie recipe.  I had been giving it a lot of thought and sort of knew what I wanted to do.  At the last minute, I decided that I would add some grated zucchini to the recipe.  Using grated zucchini is a wonderful way to hide it.  With the apple and the cinnamon, I am not sure you can not even taste the zucchini in these.

I am going to try this recipe using pineapple ice cream topping and zucchini next.

Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bars
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 c. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon
2/3 c. quick oats
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1 jar (12 oz.) Smuckers Apple Cinnamon Topping
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1/4 c. flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar.  Stir to combine.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Pat 3 c. of mixture evenly into the bottom of a foil-lined 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, let cool 5 to 10 minutes.  Meanwhile add cinnamon, quick oats and nuts to the remaining flour mixture.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl combine apple cinnamon  topping, the grated zucchini and the flour.  Mix well.  Spread mixture over the slightly cooled, baked crust.  Sprinkle flour/oats/nut mixture evenly over the apple/zucchini filling.  Pat down gently with your hand.  Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Place on wire rack and let cool completely before cutting into bars.  Makes about 36

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No-Bake MandM Brownie Bites-Saturday Sweet

With no water for a day due to having our pump go out, a flooded kitchen floor, and Blogger acting up for me so I could not post my Friday Finds, I was really ready to post a sweet today.  All is well now, and all those things were but a blip on the radar of life, but I really want sweets when I am stressed (and even when I am not).

No Bake MandM Brownie Bites is a bit different recipe for no-bake cookies as it uses a brownie mix instead of sugar and cocoa.  You can use Homemade Brownie Mix or a commercial mix.  These go together quickly and are great to make on a hot day when you are craving chocolate.  The bites remain soft and do not harden up like some no-bake chocolate cookies do.

With the specialty MandM’s that are available for holidays, these are nice for parties.  I still had some Christmas MandM’s left in my fridge, (I know unbelievable with my sweet tooth) so I used them.

Some helpful hints for making these are:  pre-measure all your ingredients ahead so they are ready to add to the mixture, cut the cube of butter into 4 or 5 slices so it melts quicker, and use a wooden flat bottom spatula to stir the mixture as it scrapes the bottom of the pan as you stir helping to prevent burning.  The well-used one I have is from Pampered Chef.

This recipe has been in my recipe files on my computer a long time.  I do not know the original source.

No-Bake MandM Brownie Bites
1 box (18 or 19 oz.) brownie mix or Homemade Brownie Mix
2/3 c. milk
1/2 (1 cube) butter, cut into 4 or 5 slices
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 t vanilla
3 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. MandM's

Cover your work surface with waxed paper.  You will need two good-size lengths.  In a very large saucepan or Dutch oven combine brownie mix, milk and butter.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla.  Quickly stir to blend well.  Stir in oats and walnuts.  Carefully stir in M& M’s.  Quickly drop by teaspoonsful onto the waxed paper.  Let cool completely.  Store in a zip-top plastic bag.  Makes about 7 dozen.

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Oatmeal Toffee Crisps

I am particularly drawn to cookie recipes that use vegetable oil as an ingredient.  This means that if I want to make cookies quickly, I do not have to wait until the butter has softened.  I am, admittedly, an impatient person when it comes to making sweets.

This cookie recipe has everything I like going for it.  It uses vegetable oil, it makes a lot, and it uses oatmeal which makes me feel slightly less guilty when I eat the cookies.

This makes a fairly large cookies that is both crispy and chewy at the same time.  Be sure to store them air tight or they will pick up moisture from the air and lose their crispness.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1 pkg. chocolate-covered toffee bits
additional sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil.  Beat until well blended.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture is smooth.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Add to sugar mixture and blend well.  Stir in rolled oats and toffee bits.  The batter will be somewhat stiff.  Place about 1/2 c. additional sugar in a shallow pie plate.  Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar.  Place balls 2-inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Flatten with the bottom of a glass that has also been dipped in the sugar.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool cookies in pan 2-3 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

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Bumpy Rhubarb Coffee Cake-Saturday Sweets

Bumpy Rhubarb Coffee Cake is another recipe made with the Easy, Versatile Rhubarb Sauce that I posted a couple of weeks ago.  I call it Bumpy Rhubarb Coffee Cake because the top layer of the batter bakes up into little hills and valleys.

The recipe consists of a cake layer, a ribbon of rhubarb sauce, another cake layer and a topping of streusel.  There had to be streusel, of course.  The coffee cake is good a room temperature of just slightly warm.

I like to use nutmeg in this to give the cake a bit of a more sophisticated taste, but it can be omitted or cinnamon used instead.

Bumpy Rhubarb Coffee Cake
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 T. butter or margarine
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. Easy, Versatile Rhubarb Sauce
3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 t. nutmeg
5 T. butter or margarine

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly.  Measure milk in a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  add eggs and beat together well.  Stir into dry ingredients along with the vanilla.  Mix until just blended.  Spread half of the batter in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Spoon rhubarb sauce evenly over batter.  Drop remaining batter in spoonsful over the filling.  In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, quick oats and nutmeg.  Cut in butter or margarine until the size of small peas.  Sprinkle mixture over the top of the cake.  Press topping gently into the batter with the palm of your hand.  Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes or just until slightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Place pan on a wire rack to cool.  Makes 15 servings.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Linking to:
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Weekend Bloggy Reading
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Rhubarb Streusel Shortbread Bars-Saturday Sweets

This is one of the recipes I promised last week when I shared a recipe for Easy, Versatile Rhubarb Sauce.   It is no secret that I am the Cookie Monster’s grandmother and will always choose cookies over other desserts if given the choice.  So although, there are rhubarb pies, cakes, breads, etc.  what I really wanted to make was a rhubarb bar cookie.

Last year I posted a recipe for Rhubarb Dream Bars I really love, so decided to use the base from that recipe for a new cookie.  The Rhubarb Dream bars take six eggs.  I wanted a recipe that did not take any eggs so that I could make it even if I did not have any eggs on hand.  That was when I decided to see if the Easy, Versatile Rhubarb Sauce would work as a filling for a bar cookie.  I then decided to top the whole thing with a streusel topping.  I did not use nuts in the topping, but they certainly could be included if desired.

My “professional taste testers” (hubby and coworkers) gave this one a “10.”  In fact, one coworker liked these so much she is supplying me with free rhubarb.  

These bars are tender and more of a “tea party” cookie than a lunchbox cookie.

Rhubarb Streusel Shortbread Bars
1 recipe Easy, Versatile Rhubarb Sauce, cooled
2 c. flour
3/4 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 c. butter or margarine (I use butter)
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. quick oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine (I use butter)

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar and mix well.  Slice butter into flour/sugar mixture and cut in with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Dump mixture into the center of a foil-lined 10x15-inch baking pan.  Spread and pat mixture out into an even layer in pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until a very light brown.  While the base is baking, mix flour, quick oats, and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  Slice butter into this mixture and cut in with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas.  Remove base from oven and let stand 5 minutes.  Spread rhubarb sauce over the base in an even layer.  Sprinkle topping evenly over the rhubarb sauce and pat in gently with your hands.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan on rack.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 48 bars.  Store covered in a single layer in the refrigerator.

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Ingredient Spotlight-Butterscotch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Ingredient Spotlight today over at Eat at Home is chocolate chips, probably one of the most popular food products ever dreamed up.

If I need a very large amount of chocolate chip cookies, I use my Big Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe which makes 12 dozen.  Because I like butterscotch, this is probably my next favorite chocolate chip cookie.  This one is for the chocolate chip lover as it is really chocolate chips and nuts held together with a small amount of dough.  The amount of chocolate chips can be reduced for a more dough, less chips cookie.

This recipe came from Kraft way back in 1982.  They were probably the very first ones to put pudding mix in a cookie recipe.  I combine the oatmeal version with the chocolate chip version for my cookies.  I am including the adjustment to make the cookies without oatmeal below, also.

By using other flavors of instant pudding and omitting either the oatmeal or the chocolate chips or by using other flavors of chips you can make many variations of this cookie.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. softened butter or margarine
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 small package instant butterscotch or other flavor pudding mix
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips

Cream together butter or margarine, sugars, and pudding mix until smooth and creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Stir together flour and soda.  Gradually add flour mixture to sugar  mixture.  Stir in oats and mix well.  Batter will be stiff.  Add  chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, about 2-inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake  at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Do not over bake, these should be a bit crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Makes 5 to 7 dozen 2-inch cookies.

For chocolate chips without the oatmeal, increase flour to 2 1/4 cups and omit oatmeal.  For oatmeal cookies without chocolate chips, omit the chips.  1 c. of raisins may be added to the oatmeal cookies, if desired.

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Holiday Cookie Change

Improv Cooking Challenge-Raisinet Crunch Cookies

 This is the third Thursday and time for another Improv Cooking Challenge.  Thursdays is also the day for 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats so I am posting twice today.  Apparently this is a week of sweets for me.

The two ingredients chosen by Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, the host of Improv Cooking Challenge, were oats and raisins.

I am not a fan of raisins, so I almost didn’t participate this month.  I like them in carrot and raisin salad and to eat out of hand, but have never cared for raisins in baked goods.  I do, however, like chocolate-covered raisins.  Weird, I know.

Since I am the Cookie Monster’s grandmother, I begin to think about using Raisinets (chocolate-covered raisins) in a cookie.  I found a cookie recipe that appealed to me in “The Cookie Jar” cookbook from Leisure Arts.  The recipe had many ingredients that I like in a cookie:  brown sugar, corn flakes, oats and coconut.  I substituted Raisinets for the raisins and was in business.

This is a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The chocolate around the raisins added much to this cookie.  These make a great after-school snack.

Raisinet Crunch Cookies
from “The Cookie Jar’
3/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
2 c. crushed corn flake cereal
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1 c. sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 c. Raisinets (this is the amount in a movie-size box I buy at Dollar Tree)

In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.  Stir in corn flakes, oats, coconut and Raisinets until well blended.  The dough will now be fairly stiff.  Drop by tablespoonsful about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Transfer to rack to cool.  Store in an air tight container.  Makes about 5 doz.

Check out the links below to find other great recipes using raisins and oats.  The ingredients for November's Improv Cooking Challenge will be sweet potatoes and honey.  If you would like to join in the fun, all the information including upcoming ingredient combinations can be found on Kristens Improv Page.

Ingredient Spotlight-Praline Oatmeal Shortbread Squares

Today the Ingredient Spotlight over at Eat at Home is Oats.  What a versatile food this is.  From breakfast to lunch, to dinner, to dessert, oatmeal can be an ingredient in so many things.

I am sharing a very decadent bar cookie that includes oatmeal.   I give fair warning that eating these will put you on a sugar high before you know what has happened.  These are a tasty addition to any Christmas cookie tray.  Cut them small and eat them sparingly.

I created these from a couple of recipes I originally found in Farm Journal’s “Homemade Cookies” cookbook.

Praline Oatmeal Shortbread Squares
1 1/2 c. sifted flour
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. quick oats
1 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
3/4 to 1 c. chopped toasted pecans

Combine flour, 2/3 c. brown sugar and oats in a large mixing bowl.  With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub butter into dry mixture until well blended and crumbly.  Pat mixture into a foil-lined 10x15-inch jelly roll pan.  Bake in a 300-degree oven about 35 to 40 minutes or until just set and golden.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Combine 1 c. brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan.  Stirring constantly  bring to a full rolling boil.  Boil 1 1/2 minutes.  remove from heat.  Stir in the pecans.  Pour and spread over top of the baked layer.  Return to oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove pan to wire rack to cool.  Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares while cookies are still slightly warm.  Makes 4 doz.

Linking to:  Ingredient Spotlight
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Wow Me Wednesday-Gingersnap Crafts
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Work It Wednesday

Ingredient Spotlight-Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

Happy Wednesday  and welcome to my new followers.  I see I have 99 today.  I feel a little give-away coming on when I reach 100.  Thanks to all who take the time out of their busy lives to read this blog.  I know that posting has been a little erratic lately, and I appreciate you stopping by.

Today's Ingredient Spotlight over at Eat at Home is bananas.  A banana is a wonderful, versatile fruit that comes in its own carrying case.  Such a wonder of nature.  For me personally a banana should be barely yellow.  I do not care to eat them after they have many brown spots.  I do love to put the riper ones in cookies, breads, and cakes, however.

Today I am sharing a recipe that is a nice change-up for regular breakfast oatmeal.  If you like peanut butter and bananas, this should be "right down your alley."  This is almost not a real recipe, and I found the idea at Taste of Home.  I like the crunch of the peanuts contrasted with the smoothness of the oatmeal and bananas in this, so use extra-crunchy peanut butter.  Of course, creamy peanut butter can be used instead.  All water or all milk can be used instead of the combination.  I use the combination and usually end up adding just a little milk when I eat the oatmeal.  I find that the less milk I need to add when serving, the hotter the oatmeal stays while I eat it.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
adapted from Taste of Home

1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
4 t. sugar or to taste
2 fairly firm bananas, sliced

Combine water, milk and salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in oatmeal and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter until well blended.  Add sugar to taste and mix well.  Pour into four serving bowls and top each serving with slices from half a banana.  Makes 4 servings.

Linking up to:  Ingredient Spotlight

Ingredient Spotlight-Pina Colada Macadamia Oatmeal Cookies

Recently I was looking through my mother’s handwritten recipe cards, and I came across a barely legible recipe for Pineapple Cookies.  I don’t remember eating these as a child so I believe that the recipe is something that she found after I was grown.  Mom did not handwrite recipes unless she thought they were very good so I decided to give the cookie a try.

I liked the fact that the recipe used all of a small can of crushed pineapple so there would be no leftovers to deal with.  It called for nuts but did not specify what kind.  I decided to add some additions to the recipe and made pina colada cookies.  These have all the good things from Hawaii with the added crunch from the nuts.   If the macadamia nuts seem a bit pricey, almonds can be used instead.

The recipe does use shortening, and I have not yet attempted to make them with butter so don’t know how that would turn out.

These are small, cake-like cookies with bits of pineapple and  nuts in them.  They are dainty and perfect for a party.

Pina Colada Macadamia Oatmeal Cookies
2/3 cup shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. coconut extract (opt.)
1/2 t. rum extract (opt.)
1 c. (8 oz. can) crushed pineapple, undrained
2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. flaked coconut, toasted
3/4 c. chopped macadamia nuts

Beat shortening and sugar together until creamy.  Add egg, vanilla, coconut and rum extract.  Beat well.  Stir in pineapple.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to liquid ingredients and mix until well blended.  Mix in oats until well blended.  Stir in coconut and nuts.  Drop by teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown and tops are set.  Make 6 dozen small cookies.

Linking to Ingredient Spotlight

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies-No-Bake Peanut Butter or Chocolate Drops

I am so excited to be part of 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  I followed along last year but was not blogging then.

At Christmas time back in the 80’s I had a cookie baking business that I ran for the people I worked with.  Every year I would scour my cookbooks and choose 12 to 15 different recipes to make.  I would write up a page with the recipe names and a description of each, hand them out to my coworkers, and  they would preorder what they wanted. 

I have never shared all those recipes, but this year I am sharing them.  A number of the recipes are ones that I have not seen anywhere on the web; and I do not want them to become “lost”.  Hopefully sharing the recipes here will help preserve them for the future.

Before I post today’s recipes here are a few tips I learned from making many cookies at Christmastime.

1.  Make bar cookies.  There are so many different recipes out there, and you can just mix up the batter and stick them in the oven.
2.  Use cookie recipes that make big batches or double your regular recipes.  It takes the same amount of time to mix up dough that makes 3 dozen cookies as it does to mix up dough that makes 6 dozen.  Being the Cookie Monster’s grandmother, I never make recipes that will yield only 16 or 24 cookies.
3.  Make cookie recipes that can be formed into large “logs” and then sliced after baking.  Several of the recipes that I will post are this type.
4.  Make recipes that you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer and then just slice and bake.
5.  Make “no-bake” cookies.  Saves time and you are not paying for having the oven on.

The first recipes I am sharing are "no-bake”.   A very popular “no-bake” cookie is made with cocoa, peanut butter and oatmeal.  These cookies are either Peanut Butter OR Chocolate.  I have been making these for over 35 years and no longer remember where the Peanut Butter recipe came from.  The Chocolate recipe came from Land O Lakes.

Any kind of nut can be used in the chocolate cookies.  They should be toasted for the best flavor.  A nice change is to used toasted almonds and sub 1/2 to 1 t. almond extract for the vanilla.

The method for making both cookies is the same so I will list the ingredients for each and then the method.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Drops
1/2 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter  (I like crunchy)
1 t. vanilla
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats

Chocolate Oatmeal Drops
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/4 to 1/2 c. cocoa
pinch salt
1/2 t. vanilla
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 c. toasted nuts
1/2 to 1 c. coconut (optional)

Cut a piece of waxed paper at least 3 ft. long and place on counter or table.  In a large, heavy saucepan combine butter, milk, white or brown sugar, salt and cocoa if using.  Bring mixture to a full-rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Without stirring, let mixture boil for 3 minutes.  Immediately remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter (if using) and vanilla.  Stir until peanut butter is melted.  Add oats and mix well.  Stir in nuts and coconut if using.  Using two teaspoons drop mixture onto waxed paper.  Use one spoon to scoop up mixture and the other to slide it onto the waxed paper.  Let set until firm, about 30 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

If you have an eagle eye, you may have noticed that there are no nuts in the chocolate cookies in the photo.  I forgot to put them in.

Linking to:  Fall Blog Crawl
I'm Lovin' It
Ingredient Spotlight

DIY Groceries-Instant Oatmeal

Good Monday Morning.  Welcome to my new followers and thanks all of you who follow this blog.  I hope the the information I post here will be helpful to you.

There are probably many, many recipes to make homemade instant oatmeal available around the web.  However, since school is now in session for most people, I thought that I would share my rendition of this morning staple.

Pound for pound, instant oatmeal is one of the most expensive foods at the grocery store.  It really is simple and easy to make your own, and it tastes so much better than the commercial stuff.

Many recipes call for packaging  the oatmeal in individual zip-top bags, and one can certainly do that.  You all know how much I like the little snack size bags for freezing things.  In this case, I do not bother to do that, but make my instant oatmeal in bulk and just measure out the 1/2 c. that is needed each time I make it.

I do not add sugar to my bulk mix, preferring to add it when the oatmeal is made up.  That way I can use white, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, jam or other sweetener as I choose.  This also allows the oatmeal to be "customized" for various members of the family.  I always use milk or half-and-half when I make up my oatmeal because I like the flavor better.

There are so many things that can be added to the instant oatmeal which can be mixed and matched, one could easily have a different dish every day for several months.

I like to use both old-fashioned and quick oats when I make this.  I think that using the old-fashioned oats and grinding them up gives the oatmeal a much better flavor.

Instant Oatmeal in Bulk
5 c. old-fashioned oats
5 c. quick oats
2 c. dry powdered milk

Put the old-fashioned oats in a food processor and grind until it is like very coarse meal.  This can be done a cup or so at a time in a mini processor if necessary.  Combine the ground oats with the quick oats and dry milk.  Mix together very well.  Store in an air-tight container for  6 weeks.  To use, place 1/2 c. oatmeal in a bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and mix.  Pour  3/4 c. boiling water over the oatmeal.  Stir in any add-in and let stand for 2 minutes.
Or pour 1 c. cold water over oatmeal.  Microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.  Stir in any add-ins and let stand 2-3 minutes to thicken and cool slightly.
Use more or less water for a thinner or thicker oatmeal.  If desired, milk can be used instead of water for flavor and to up the nutrient value.

Add-Ins for Instant Oatmeal

Here is a partial list of things that can be added to a single serving of the oatmeal.  Use about 2 T. of each per serving, cutting back a bit if using a combination of add-ins.

Chopped fresh fruit or berries-apples, peaches, apricots, nectarines, bananas, pineapple,strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. applesauce.

Chopped dried fruit or raisins-apricots, cranberries, dates, pineapple, apples, cherries, mangoes, bananas.

Nuts-chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, filberts, peanuts, macadamia, cashews.  (All preferably toasted.)

Toasted Coconut

Peanut Butter-smooth or chunky

Sweeteners-sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, jam, jelly or fruit butters.

Spices-cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice.

Cookies/candy-mini marshmallows, chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, peanut butter chips, decorative cake/cookie sprinkles, crushed cookies, crushed Butterfinger candy.

Wheat Germ, any type.

A little pat of butter.

Some Combinations to Try:

Cranberry/Almond:  2 T.  dried cranberries, 2 T. sliced almonds, 2 t. brown sugar, 1/4 t. cinnamon

Maple Pecan:  2 T. chopped pecans, 1/4 t. cinnamon, and 1-2 T. maple syrup

Cinnamon Bun:  1 T. brown sugar and 1/4 t. cinnamon

Banana Walnut:  1 T. chopped walnuts, 1/2 to 1 banana sliced over the top or 2 T. chopped dried banana.

Confetti:  Stir in 1 t. cake/cookie sprinkles

S’Mores:  Stir in 6 to 8 mini marshmallows and 1 T. mini chocolate chips.

Butterfinger:  Stir in 1 crushed mini Butterfinger bar.

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon:  Stir in 1 T. brown sugar and 1/4 t. cinnamon.

Health Nut:  Stir in 2 T. wheat germ and 2 T. any nut.

Tropical:  Stir in 2 T. chopped dried pineapple or mango, 1 T. chopped macadamia nuts, and 1 T. coconut.

Peanut Butter and Jelly:  Stir in 1-2 T. peanut butter and 1-2 T. any jam or jelly.

Spiced:  Stir in 1 t. brown sugar, 1/4 t. cinnamon and scant 1/8 to. nutmeg

This certainly is just a start to all the combinations one could stir into their oatmeal.  Under the “Don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it”category, I personally like a tablespoon of crisp bacon bits and a half of a hard-cooked egg, chopped, stirred into my oatmeal from time to time.

Linking to:
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Eighteen Dozen Cookies-Part 4

Here I am back with the fourth cookie recipe from my 18-dozen, cookie-baking  day.  Above is a picture of the cookies all packed up and ready to take to the church.  Please know that I am a new digital camera user, photo editor, and photo poster, so don't expect perfection here.
My husband likes ginger snap type cookies.  Since I am a chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, and any other flavor but ginger snap type of girl, that is what I usually make.  But, every-once-in-awhile, I remember to make some cookies just for my husband.   For this last cookie I made Molasses Cookies and kept out a dozen just for him.  This recipe came from Relish magazine.  The original recipe said to drop the dough, but I found the dough too stiff to drop.  I use a measuring tablespoon to measure out the dough and roll into balls.  The cookies can be formed and baked right away or shaped into a roll, frozen, then sliced and baked.

Molasses Cookies
from Relish Magazine

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. soda
1/2 t. each allspice, nutmeg, cloves, kosher salt
1/2 shortening, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1/4 c. unsulfured molasses
3/4 c. old fashioned oats

Sift together flour, sugar, soda, spices, and salt.   Add shortening, egg and molasses; mix well.  Stir in oats.  Mix well.   Measure out the dough using a level measuring tablespoon and roll into balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees 8-10 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen.

To make ahead:  form dough into a roll, wrap in parchment paper and plastic wrap and freeze.  To cook, slice frozen dough into 1/4-thick slices and bake 13 minutes.

Tomorrow I will explain the idea and plan for this blog and start a series:  Do It Yourself Groceries.

Eighteen Dozen Cookies-Part 2

I first tasted this cookie at one of our after-church coffee hours.  I loved it so much that I tracked down the lady who brought the cookies and hounded her for several weeks until she gave me the recipe.  She did not have a name for the recipe.  I have since found this same cookie recipe under different names, such as Pantry Cookies, on the internet.  I also found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookie book, and that is the name I used.  This is kind of a cross between a crispy and a chewy cookie.  I think that is due to the Rice Krispies and the coconut.  I sometimes toast the coconut and the walnuts together for a slightly different flavor cookie.  That takes about 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Watch carefully, checking at 5 minutes.  Warning:  these are very addictive.

Coconut Krispies
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. Rice Krispies (can be generic brand)
1 c. oatmeal (quick or regular)
1 c. coconut
1/2-1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream sugar, brown sugar, butter and oil together until well blended. Add egg and vanilla.  Combine flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to creamed mixture. Add remaining ingredients.  Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Makes about 6 dozen.


Wisdom Gained from Experience:  This dough cannot be stored to bake later.  The oil separates from the rest of the dough and is difficult to mix back in.

Enjoy.  Back tomorrow with the third recipe