CCPB Oatmeal Cookies
Happy 4th of July everyone! I know today is usually similar to Memorial Day – filled with cookouts, drinks, friends & the joy of having an extra day off. And the bangs of fireworks to scare small children & animals alike.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like posting anything themed or patriotic because in my opinion, due to recent decisions beyond our control, America is in time-out. Mostly the idiots who decided now was a good time to take away women’s basic, human rights over our bodies. Right before their own birthday party. Unreal. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.
However, today shall still be filled with the joy of family & being together to enjoy good food and one another’s company, for reasons unknown. That’s all I have to say about that as well.
dare I ask how?
I dreamed up these cookies while I was cleaning out our pantry a few weeks ago. We have been working on a fucking pantry door remodel since January. Yes, I realize it is July but some idiotic men at Home Depot ((are you sensing a trend here?? Sorry this post might be filled with angst towards dumb people)) can’t seem to correctly measure / order doors for a standard 60” opening to swap out the old, 90s style bi-fold doors and replace them with French, frosted glass doors…..ANYWAY. Now that I’ve fully worked myself up…..
umm OK sure go on…
I made Ina Garten’s Apple Crisp for Thanksgiving 2021 and had a ton of leftover, whole grain oats, so I spied that gem with my little eye. I also had a container of Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries that failed to curb our cravings for a quick dessert at times….the wheels in my little brain started turning.
Thus, CCPB Oatmeal Cookies were born. I don’t usually get the call to bake very often, but I was craving homemade cookies and I wanted something a little less ordinary. Kitchen Sink or Monster Cookies appealed to me, but I was also in the middle of rage-cleaning AND still in my pajamas – so I wasn’t in the mood to run to the store if I needed other ingredients – what a lovely picture I just painted for you. You’re Welcome.
I think many of us know the classics : oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut…..all are SO delicious. But I wasn’t craving *THOSE* cookies. Yea, I was in that kind of mood. Thank goodness Chris was out of town that weekend.
Luckily enough, I had butter, eggs, vanilla, AP flour…..all the basic ingredients to make some not so basic cookies! I love how peanut butter acts like a slightly salty, welcome glue, the oats give it some real OOMPH, and of course, chopping up those DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES really made the whole damn thing decadent! Is your mouth watering yet?
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients
· 1.5 cups AP flour, leveled off
· 1 TSP Baking Powder
· 1 TSP Baking Soda
· 1 TSP Salt
· 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
· 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
· ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
· 2 eggs, room temp
· 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
· 1 TBS Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract
· 2 cups Whole Grain Oats – plain
· 2 cups chopped Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Instructions, 1
Mis En Place – if I’ve learned anything in baking, its definitely GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.
I recommend getting out 2 bowls, (1 medium, 1 large) a cutting board & sharp knife, and a hand mixer.
Setting out the butter & eggs about 2 hours ahead of time will have them perfectly adjusted to room temp for this recipe to be a success!
In 1 bowl, simply mix together all the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, & the salt.
In the 2nd bowl (the larger bowl) cream the 2 sticks of butter & 2 sugars together on medium speed until everything is perfectly incorporated – about 2 minutes.
Next, drop in the 2 eggs and 1 TBS of Pure Bourbon Vanilla extract – I get mine from Trader Joe’s and its soooo good.
Next, add in the Peanut Butter and still using the hand mixer, beat on high speed until combined ((you might want to take a break and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything gets mixed perfectly!))
The cookie mixture should be a bit sticky already – good, that’s good.
Still using your hand mixer, add in the dry ingredients a little bit at a time.
Instructions, 2
Once well incorporated, shut off the hand mixture and use a WOODEN spatula – trust me, I’ve broken my fair share of plastic spatulas ((RIP to my pink spatula that was broken making this damn recipe)) trying to mix together heavy / sticky ingredients – it does not turn out well.
Using your new wooden spatula, mix in the 2 cups of oats, a little bit at a time. You’ll get a workout, trust me!
After the oats are mixed in thoroughly, using the same wooden spatula, drop in handfuls of your chopped Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries and gently FOLD THEM IN. ((I will never not use that reference whenever I can, for as long as I can))
Since the Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries are already chopped, there’s no need to pulverize them further by aggressively mixing them or using a hand mixer to make the chunks smaller – you WANT a big ole bite of melted chocolate or a nice chunk or cherry once you bite into these cookies! Like, damn!
Once all ingredients have been mixed together, cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap & set it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Use that 30 minutes to clean up your kitchen & prep for the next steps! :)
Instructions, 3
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Get out 2 large cookie sheets and parchment paper (each of my cookie sheets can hold 20 / 24 cookies)
Parchment Paper is definitely your friend for this recipe as opposed to tin foil. Tin Foil gets hot (duh) in the oven & causes the bottoms of cookies to get browner / more crisp than intended ((The More You Know))
Once your oven is preheated & your cookies have chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes, I suggest using a cookie scoop or melon baller – I used the medium size of 1 inch to scoop the cookies out and place them, perfectly spaced on my cookie sheets.
Bake your cookies at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. They may look slightly pale & super soft, but they will be done!
Allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cookie rack (if you so choose) and serve immediately!
your new favorite cookie
I think these cookies could be the new hit for any gathering this summer! They have ingredients to please just about anybody! They give the comfort of Oatmeal Raisin ((without the raisins)) and the addition of Peanut Butter is always a fan-favorite. I personally love the surprise of the Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry chunks that magically appear in some bites – the cherry is dried so its extra sweet, but the Dark Chocolate lends a bit of bitterness that competes well with the brown sugar in this cookie! Thanks for coming along on one of my ((very rare)) baking journeys. I am trying to branch out more in my culinary adventures & am glad to have you along for the ride. However you feel & choose to celebrate America today, just know you have a friend in me, but I also won’t stand for any bullshit talking about the argument “we can disagree & still be friends” – as Cardi B would say “NAH”
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
