Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters

Oh my, yes, you read that right!  Chunky peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate - num!  Made these cookies yesterday for the first time and I have to share the recipe.  They are so good and hearty and full of deliciousness.  Well, just read on and see for yourself if you don't have the urge to bake some very soon. 



from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures



3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (or just use the baking sheets).  Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.  If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about two hours, or for up to 1 day.  (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto the baking sheets.  If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2" apart on the baking sheets.  Press the chilled balls gently with the heal of your hand until they are about 1/2" thick.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.  The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges.  Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

I used 1 cup of sucanat and only about 1/4 cup brown sugar because, well, that's all I had!  And they were still plenty sweet.  But my family is used to that, because I've been cutting sugar in half in pretty much everything I bake for quite a while now.  Do as you wish with your recipe.  I chilled my dough and used a cookie scoop, pressing them flat as directed.  I always have such a hard time with cookies - they bake too long, not long enough....  So I really liked the description given about how they should look when you pull them out of the oven.  And the tip about how they'll firm when they cool.  Very helpful for me!  Ah, but cooling the baking sheets.  Skipped that part.  Actually didn't even see it til I typed it out for my post.  Oh well!

Hope you enjoy them as much as we are.  I put most of them in a jar on the counter.  Some went into the freezer.  We'll see how long they last...