Crunchy edges, chewy center and none of the various gluten-free flours to mess about with. So delicious, everyone will enjoy them!
When I need to feed a crowd, I’ll usually check my freezer first to see if I have any treats stashed away. As the owner of a gluten free bakery, I sometimes have pastries left a the end of the day that I can snag and keep at home for when I need it. I’m also a big fan of efficient baking, and often will make giant batches of cookie dough and keep frozen logs that I can slice and bake fresh as needed.
Besides, after spending long days in the bake shop kitchen, I don’t usually want to spend multiple hours more at home (where I don’t even have a dishwasher!)
The flubug hit our household hard this year. First my husband succumbed, and was delirious with fever, congestion and chills for over a week. Just as Jason was starting to perk up, I got hot and sweaty and then cold and clammy with fever and sore throat. Luckily, I’ve learned to listen to my body and when it says “rest,” I do. I must’ve slept for 2 solid days, but when I woke up on day three, I felt refreshed and ready to rejoin the world. That the was Saturday before the Superbowl, and with several parties on our docket, I realized that I’d need something easy and delicious that could feed a crowd.
These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies were the result.
Crisp around the edges, with a soft, chewy center, and salty-sweet, these guys are addictive. It’s a good thing I made 12 dozen, because Jason ate 2 dozen by himself that first day.
Use a food scoop if you have it, to ensure all the cookies are the same size and bake evenly. I’ll warn you that my oven at home is reallllllly old and hasn’t been calibrated in years (sacrilege! I know!) and bakes really slowly, so adjust your oven temp and time accordingly.
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment baking paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Blend together on medium-high speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, blending to combine. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the goodness at the bottom has been incorporated, and restart the mixer on low speed.
- Add the oats, chocolate chips and vanilla and mix just long enough to uniformly incorporate everything into the dough.
- Drop or scoop walnut-sized balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each doughball, as cooking will spread.
- Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a few grains of sea salt, if desired.
- Bake until golden brown and the centers are set, about 15-20 minutes.
- Let cool on cookie sheets 3-5 minutes to set, and then remove cookies to a cooling rack. If you don't have a cooking rack, cut open a clean paper bag and let the cookies cool on the bag (this way, any extra fat will be absorbed into the bag, and not left on the cookie!)
- Scoop, sprinkle and bake the remaining cookie dough.
- (Great tip: use a food scoop if you have it; this ensures that all the cookies will be the exact same size and should finish baking at the same time. Also, if you rotate your baking pans halfway through cooking, the cookies will bake more uniformly.)
