Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies

Cookie Swap. Two words that your instincts tell you to run away from while your mind (and tastebuds) find intriguing enough to think to give it a chance. I understand that the thought of making six dozen cookies seems quite the herculean task while the thought of seeing sixteen beautiful gold plates with a different type of cookie on each one is too awesome to pass up. Especially when you realize you get to take a sample of each variety home with you.

I poured through websites and cookbooks to find a cookie recipe that would be different yet easy to make since I wanted to impress my fellow swappers but didn’t want to spend all day Saturday in the kitchen. The concept of these cookies was first brought to my attention via a dear friend and bridesmaid of mine (Hi, Kristen!) who made them for one of my bridal showers. I love waffles and I love cookies and it turns out, I therefore adore waffle cookies! I literally made six dozen cookies in less than an hour because with my four-waffle waffle maker, I could make eight at a time. The batches just piled up in front of me like Christmas magic!

They are super easy and super yummy but they need to be eaten pretty quickly because in my opinion, and as is typical with waffles, they are a little dry and beg for some sort of liquid (but not maple syrup -- well, maybe maple syrup, let me know how that goes). I imagine drizzled chocolate would do nothing but make these more awesome but I promise they are delish (and fun to make!) without it. I, personally, wanted to nuke a couple in the microwave, put ice cream on top and pour chocolate syrup over the entire bowl but, alas, none were left to fulfill this desire.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies
From Fine Cooking
Makes at least 24 cookies (I got 36 cookies out of a batch)

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c plus 2 Tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
Nonstick cooking spray

Heat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In a large bowl, whisk the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Coat the grids of the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to portion out a cookie onto each waffle square. Close the iron and cook until set and beginning to brown, 1-1/2 to 3 minutes, depending on the heat of your waffle iron. Use a thin metal spatula (or fork) to transfer the cooked cookies to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough, coating the grids with spray as necessary.

"Jim"ed-up Banana Bread

Christmas is less than a week away and I am busy convincing myself that the gifts I have bought for my new family (ie, Robbie’s family) are sufficient. Sufficient enough for what, I don’t really know. I know I want to make a good impression since this is my first Christmas with Robbie’s clan but I also don’t want to set the bar too high so that I can’t meet it come next Christmas. See how I make myself crazy this time of year? If I come to the conclusion that the present bounty is not enough, time is running short so they may be getting Sheetz gift cards. Which may not be a bad idea actually . . .

Enter Holiday Baking. This is the perfect diversion to these mind games so bring on the chocolate, sugar, flour, and bourbon. That last ingredient was for the banana bread.

Robbie’s fruit bowl, bless-his-heart, is in a perpetual state of “runneth” over and rarely does he eat it all before it goes bad. Therefore, this banana bread from Smitten Kitchen (I promise, I will insert some diversity eventually into this blog – it will not be a two-year-delayed version of SK . . .) was the perfect first baking task on a snowy Saturday. My other expeditions for that bountiful day will follow but for now, enjoy what Deb calls Jacked-up Banana Bread but I will refer to it as "Jim"ed-up Banana Bread since I went with good ole Jim Beam.

"Jim"ed-up Banana Bread

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I love this recipe because I had everything it called for except for the bourbon which is optional anyway. (Have you ever been in an ABC store at 10 am on a Saturday the minute it opens? Good news – it was empty. So maybe AA is working out well for folks!)

3 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 c melted butter

1 c brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs bourbon (optional)

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1 1/2 c of flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered (I used Pam because I never have Baker’s Joy when I need it) 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Mine could have probably used 45 minutes and been fine. It was very done at 50 minutes. Cool on a rack in the pan.