Monday, May 2, 2011

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Graham Cookies.

You know how when you go to one of those fancy create-your-own frozen yogurt places and you're suddenly inspired to throw gummy worms, bits of cheesecake, Captain Crunch, rainbow sprinkles, & a pound of fat, juicy strawberries on top of some vanilla ice cream? 

The same thing happens when I make cookies sometimes.  
It doesn't always work out. Like, say, when I felt it was a good idea to make popcorn cookies.

It's not.
But sometimes, it does. Sometimes you cross your fingers & hold your breath & dance around nervously in front of the oven while they bake, and you end up with a cookie you love.

And will probably be baking at least three more times this week month. 
I started off making peanut butter-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Because I love peanut butter. 

... and oatmeal. 

And chocolate chips. So really, it was the convenient thing to do.
But then I found these. 
And in a fit of inspiration, I did this.  
These might be my new favorite cookies. 
Big, soft, chewy peanut butter cookies full of oats, chocolate chips, and graham cracker crumbs, with a bakery-style crackle top... everything about these was perfect. The graham crackers added a sweet, subtle cinnamon-honey sort of taste, which went really well with the peanut butter, and gave the cookies just a little bit of a crunch. 
I may or may not have burnt my fingertips eating them right off the baking sheet...

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Graham Cookies. 

Printable Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chocolate-covered or plain graham crackers, roughly crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop out dough, roll into balls, and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Makes about 27 cookies.

Source: Barely adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker.