oatmeal

Classic Oatmeal Scotchie Cookies

/ Jodi / 28 Comments

Classic Oatmeal Scotchie Cookies.

Cookie week continues!

I have been making these classic oldie-but-goodie cookies quite a bit lately and realized I have never shared the recipe here.  Not that you couldn’t likely find it elsewhere or directly on the Quaker Oats website, but I wanted to document it here as one of the classics I make and also highly recommend it to those who may have never heard of or haven’t thought about in a while.

They might seem a bit ordinary after the past two recipes this week (Toffee Coffee Oatmeal Cookies and Macadamia Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies), but I promise they are (still) an amazing cookie!

These are one of hubby’s faves.  A chewy oatmeal cookie bursting with bits of butterscotch yumminess.

Do you have a classic cookie recipe that takes you back to a place and time?  Takes you back to a great childhood feeling?  To me, these are that kind of “feel good” cookie.  They are simple, but delicious, and a sure crowd pleaser!

Hope you will give them a try…. or a try again!

Here is how I make them.

Classic Oatmeal Scotchies*

  • Servings: 3 dozen large cookies
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1-1/4 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 Cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
  • 1 package (11 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add baking soda, salt and flour; mix well. Add oats and butterscotch morsels; mix well. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking stone or ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

These cookies freeze well. I simply store in the freezer in Ziploc Freezer Bags.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Toffee Coffee Oatmeal Cookies

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

Toffee Coffee Oatmeal Cookies.

It’s been a little while since I posted a cookie recipe here at The Creative Life in Between. 

I tried to focus on watercolor painting for most of July in honor of #WorldWatercolorMonth – being an Ambassador and all.   < curtsy bows 😉 >

But those that know me well know that I almost always have some kind of fresh baked cookies in the house – for “just in case!”

In fact…. I’m kinda known  – – in some very small, insignificant circles – –  for my creative culinary cookie craftiness.

This and my fluent grasp of the Ubby Dubby language are the talents I always say I would use if I were in the Miss America Pageant – HA!!!!

Well – I’ve been saving up and have a couple really good recipes to share!  So this week is going to be cookie recipe week.

I made this cookie recipe for a recent party at my house, and they were a huge hit!

This cookie is a wonderful chewy, but crisp on the edges dream of milk chocolate, toffee, oatmeal, and a hint of coffee for good measure!  O….  M….  G….  !!!

Get ready for a new addiction!  This is one I have trouble passing up and is dangerous to keep in my house!  Bake them if you dare!

Toffee Coffee Oatmeal Cookies*

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup strong coffee (cooled)
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 cups Quaker oatmeal (either quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 8-oz. packages milk chocolate toffee bits
  • 1 cup coarsely crumbled sugar ice cream cones (about 5 cones)

Directions:

In large bowl with electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until creamy.  Add egg; beat well.  Beat in coffee and vanilla.  Add salt, baking soda, and flour until combined.  Remove from electric mixer and stir in 3 cups oatmeal with wooden spoon.  Stir in toffee bits and crumbled sugar cones just until well incorporated.  Refrigerate dough for several hours or overnight to chill.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll tablespoons full of dough into round balls (golf ball sized) and place on baking stone or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes just until golden brown.  Allow to cool on baking stone for additional 5-10 minutes.  Transfer to cooling wire racks to cool completely.  Freeze well.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*slightly adapted straight from the Quaker Oats recipe!

Gluten-Free (Flourless) Banana Oatmeal Bread

/ Jodi / 51 Comments

Gluten-Free (Flourless) Banana Oatmeal Bread.

When you have a bunch of bananas that ripen before you eat them – and you know nobody will eat them – they are perfect for baking.

I have a really yummy banana bread recipe, but it is not the “healthiest.”  I decided I wanted to make something with less (or no) sugar, and maybe no flour either.

I was excited when I found this super-easy and oh so yummy recipe at The Baker Mama.

It’s been very hot here, so I baked this early on a Sunday morning.  I made one loaf for my youngest son and his wife (my son loves banana bread and my daughter-in-law likes to eat healthy and gluten-free if possible) and one loaf for hubby and me.

My son mentioned that if I added some protein powder to the recipe, it would be the perfect breakfast.  I will have to try that next time.

But how simple is this recipe with five healthy, wholesome ingredients?!

Hope you will give it a try.

Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2  eggs
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and well combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Garnish the top of the batter with thinly sliced bananas or pecans or walnuts, if desired).

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Do not overbake or bread will be dry tasting.

Let loaf cool completely in pan. Store in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator,

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Best-Ever Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

/ Jodi / 53 Comments

Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

If you are an oatmeal raisin cookie lover……

You know – you love the ones that are crispy around the edges, but caramely chewy with plump sweet raisins on the inside…..

You are going to be in OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE HEAVEN when you make and taste these amazing Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 2

I honestly believe these are the BEST EVER Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on the Planet!

Earth AND Mars!

Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 3

Get ready to be a Cookie Rock Star when you make these!

Now go get baking!  You MUST have these!

Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  • Servings: 4 dozen large cookies
  • Print

Ingredients:Amish Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 2

  • 3/4 cup softened butter
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil or shortening
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp baking soda
  • 3 cups oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk ( you can make a substitute by adding 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar to milk or half and half and allowing to sit for 5 min as a substitute, and it works perfectly fine!)
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups golden raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream together butter, coconut oil or shortening, and granulated sugar until fully incorporated.  Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and beat well.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl – flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder – and add to creamed butter/sugar mixture.  Add buttermilk next, followed by oatmeal.  When well combined, gently stir in raisins.

Drop by heaping tablespoon onto baking stone or cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on baking stone/cookie sheet for additional 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy these amazing cookies (that include some healthy ingredients)!

I cannot wait to hear what you think of them, and I dare you to challenge me to a better oatmeal raisin cookie recipe! 🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Chewy Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

chewy honey oatmeal raisin cookies 2

It’s cookie time!

chewy honey oatmeal raisin cookies
Not that I need an excuse, but Fall is a wonderful time to bake, and this week’s cookie recipe is a yummy crispy-on-the-edge, but chewy-and-gooey-in-the-middle Honey Oatmeal and Golden Raisin Cookie.

chewy honey oatmeal raisin cookies 3

Oatmeal cookies are one of hubby’s faves, and I also wanted to take a treat into the office for a meeting where we were having a special guest who enjoys my cookies, so Oatmeal it was!

chewy honey oatmeal raisin cookies 1
Your search for the ultimate oatmeal raisin cookie ends here! These are amazing! The touch of honey gives them just the right finishing touch to add that crisp outside texture with the tender inside. These cookies are out of this world! (And not just because I made them in Mars!)

Chewy Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:chewy honey oatmeal raisin cookies 2

  • 1 lb. (4 sticks or 2 cups) Butter (softened to room temperature)
  • 2 1/2 cups packed Brown Sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 4 tsp Vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp Honey
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 6 cups Rolled Oats
  • 2 cups Golden Raisins

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • In an electric stand mixer, cream butter. Thoroughly blend in brown sugar.  Then add eggs, vanilla, and honey.  Beat well.
  • Add in baking soda an cinnamon and mix.
  • Gradually add the flour and mix until just incorporated.
  • Remove from mixer and manually stir in the rolled oats and raisins.
  • Drop dough by rounded tablespoonful onto baking stone (or cookie sheet).  Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies begin to brown.
  • Allow to cool on baking stone 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to complete cooling.
  • TIP:  I like to chill my dough for at least one hour before baking.

Hope you enjoy!  Bake up some love this weekend!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Sugar-Free (Almost) Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

almost sugar free chocolate no bake cookies 2

Do you remember these chocolately no-bake cookies from your childhood?

My Grandma’s friend and neighbor, Audrey, used to make these in the summer, and I loved them.

almost sugar free chocolate no bake cookies 3

I hadn’t thought about them or had them in a long time.  Then I noticed my friend, Janet, posted this healthy, no-sugar version on her Facebook page.

Yesterday was our first day home from vacation, and there were no cookies in the house.  That is something that doesn’t happen often around here! 

Knowing we were heading over to our oldest son’s and daughter-in-law’s house for a visit, I didn’t want to go empty handed, so I thought I would give this recipe a try.

almost sugar free chocolate no bake cookies 1

The original recipe from my childhood calls for 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of milk.

This recipe has NO sugar (except for what is in my peanut butter – but if you used natural peanut butter, it would have NONE!).  Honey is used instead, and I use local honey (Molinaro Apiaries here in Mars).  Have you heard that using local honey can help treat those with allergies as you ingest small doses of pollen the bees carry that is local to you and builds antibodies like getting a “vaccine?”

This recipe has no butter.  It uses healthy coconut oil instead.  And it uses no milk.

And best of all…. these “healthy” cookies taste DELISH!

almost sugar free chocolate no bake cookies 4

And… they take only minutes to make.

They are best eaten right out of the freezer on hot summer days.

The recipe Janet shared is from 12 Tomatoes, and they say the recipes makes three dozen cookies.

WHY do I always only get HALF the number of cookies any cookie recipe calls for?  I got exactly 18…. One and one half dozen.  Do I really make my cookies TWICE as big as everyone else!?!!???  🙂

It was good to be back in the kitchen – even if only briefly – and not really baking!

But it was even better to be with our “kids.”  And I played ladder golf for the first time.  Us girls ALMOST won!

Sugar Free (Almost) Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

  • Servings: 1-1/2 - 3 dozen
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 2/3 cup natural peanut butter (I didn’t have “natural” so used Jif – thus the “almost” sugar free reference)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine honey, peanut butter and coconut oil, stirring until well blended and smooth.
  3. Stir in oats, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and mix well.
  4. Drop cookies by tablespoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheets
  5. Place in freezer for at least 15 minutes to set.
  6. Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag either in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

/ Jodi / 11 Comments

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are one of my hubby’s faves, and I was surprised to notice I had not posted my recipe here yet.

When I make oatmeal cookies, I like to make them ginormous – – – typically about 3 inches in diameter.

It just seems to be the right way to make them….  Do you think I subconsciously consider them healthier in the cookie category?  There are oats.  There is fruit.  Sometimes there are nuts….   (no worries about that little ole’ bit of butter and sugar!)  😉

I also tend to flatten them a bit before baking, which I do not do with my chocolate chips and others.  I think because they are so full of HEALTHY oats, they don’t tend to spread and flatten as much on their own.

oatmeal raisin cookies 3

To me, the best oatmeal cookies are not puffy or fluffy, but crispy on the outside edges and chewy on the inside.

I change up the fruit or nuts for however the wind is blowing for me that day, so sometimes I add just golden raisins (which I always buy over the standard “brown” ones), other times I use raisins and dried cranberries (like this time).  Sometimes I add chopped walnuts… and sometimes not.  I’ve been known to add dried cherries or dried blueberries (and even candy orange slices once!).

oatmeal raisin cookies 2

So for you oatmeal cookies lovers, here’s my favorite tweaked from the Quaker Oats canister lid called “Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:”

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  • Servings: 2 dozen ginormous or 4 dozen regular sized cookies
  • Print

Ingredients:oatmeal raisin cookies 3

14 Tbsp softened butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup golden raisins (or fruit/nuts of your choice)

With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat for two more minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats and raisins and mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll dough into large 2 inch balls (or smaller 1 inch if you prefer), place on baking stone, and flatten with the palm of your hand.

Bake 8 minutes for small, 10 minutes for large.

Jodi’s Best Cookie Baking Tips: Electric oven provides most even, consistent baking. I always bake on stones as opposed to aluminum or glass or metal.  I always refrigerate my cookie dough for several hours before baking. I always under bake as the cookies continue to cook slightly while cooling on the baking stone for 2-3 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Cookies freeze well if stored in airtight freezer bags after completely cooled.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Orange Slice & Oatmeal Cookies

/ Jodi / 14 Comments

orange slice oatmeal cookies stacked

Looking for a way to take your oatmeal cookies to the NEXT LEVEL?  How about add orange slice candies?!

orange slices

We are going to a Chinese New Year’s Party this weekend, and oranges are meant to bring good luck.

In looking for recipes that included orange that wouldn’t interfere with the meal I knew our hosts would have planned, I came across a couple of orange cookie recipes.

I was looking for something different, so I tried two different recipes.  Today I am featuring the Orange Slice and Oatmeal Cookies.

It’s kind of like substituting chopped candy orange slices for the raisins in your oatmeal cookies.

orange slices chopped

If you’re a fan of these sweet jelly gum drops, you’re gonna love these cookies.

orange slice oatmeal cookies

And if this doesn’t strike your fancy, or even if it does, tomorrow’s post is going to kick it up a little bit more with Orange Cookie #2:  Orange Creamsicle White Chocolate Chips Cookies!  oooooo laaaa laaa!

Happy Baking!

ORANGE SLICE & OATMEAL COOKIES (as found on AllRecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups orange-flavored fruit slice jelly candies, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
In large mixing bowl, cream together sugars and shortening till fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.

Stir in the oats and chopped orange slice candies (Hint:  dip a pair of kitchen shears into a glass of hot water or spray with a non-stick spray to make snipping the orange slices easier)

Using about one tablespoon of mixture for each cookie, roll into one inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi