Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Finding that magical overlap between the foods you crave and the ingredients you have on hand can be a challenge in the best of times. Last week, Rebecca woke up craving cookies...but with little butter or flour on hand and no fancy mix-ins to fall back on, I was stumped. Opening the fridge, I saw the jar of fresh-ground natural Haitian peanut butter we'd picked up the day before. The resulting cookies combine the nutty roasted flavor of natural peanut butter and oats with a subtle salty sweetness and rich moist texture. Success! The recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown sugar (reserve 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on the cookies before baking)
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter (use 2 tablespoons less sugar if using sweetened peanut butter)
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
- Add the egg and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- In another bowl, whisk together oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the egg mixture and stir in by hand until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Using your hands, scoop up 2 tablespoons worth of dough, and roll it into balls. You should end up with around 15-18 cookies. Space the cookies evenly on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between each cookie.
- Using the bottom of a glass or other flat object, flatten each cookie until it is about 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle the top of the cookies with the reserved 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. The cookies will loose their glossiness, and just barely begin to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack after 3-5 minutes.
Dark Chocolate Pretzel Granola Bars
I have a family brimming with athletes; there are triathaloning uncles, cyclist aunts, a few who even go to iron man extremes, there are high jumping cousins, long distance winning boys and record setting girls. This weekend is the Pittsburgh Marathon, where over 30, 000 people will race through our beautiful city, up hills, over bridges and across the three rivers. Paul and I, along with our hounds, will be there to cheer on my sister as she continues the family tradition of athleticism and runs the half-marathon! In the spirit of pre-race carb loading, (and middle of the race snacking for the loyal fans), we offer you these delicious dark chocolate-pretzel granola bars. These granola bars are infinitely more delicious and healthy then their store-bought peers. I like to make a big batch of granola bars and freeze them individually wrapped. So while others race, jump, bike and swim, we will be happily cheering and snacking on these tasty bars!
Thai Peanut Sauce Smoked Chicken Wings
Christmas in Indiana this year had as hankering for these Thai Peanut Smoked Chicken Wings. Given the challenges of finding both chicken wings and a smoker in Haiti, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to chow down on an old favorite while back in the US. This pungent Thai sauce is chock full of vibrant flavors, tangy lime, creamy peanut butter, garlic, and spicy jalapeno. For those without a home smoker, the recipe includes an easy adaptation for oven roasting.
Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. This is mine. This Oat Chocolate Chip Cookie combines the luscious butteriness of the classic grandma-style cookie with the chewy texture and nutty flavor of oats and the rich warmth of extra vanilla. While Rebecca (and the health department) may not approve, I'll also share that this dough is almost as good raw, as it is baked! Our recipe is relatively light on chocolate chips, but feel free to amp up the chocolate if you prefer. Treat yourself!
West African Peanut Stew with Kale
Our sister-in-law made this deliciously comforting West African Peanut Stew with Kale on a recent visit to New Haven, and I have been craving it non-stop ever since. The taste and smell of garlic, ginger and peanuts will warm you on these crisp fall days. This simple and hearty vegetarian take on the classic West African peanut stew uses pantry ingredients and works well with whatever greens you happen to have on hand.
Easy Coconut Baked Oatmeal
We have been in Honduras this past week for work meetings with our regional colleagues. One thing that makes our organization unique, is an emphasis on cultivating relationships and being a good host. In this spirit, our Honduras-based supervisors welcomed us into their home with delicious home cooked meals, among them a scrumptious breakfast of baked oatmeal with fresh strawberries. Not only did we stuff ourselves, but coincidentally, we had been experimenting with our own baked oatmeal recipe over the past month. Our version of Easy Coconut Baked Oatmeal is a hearty, crunchy, warm and filling breakfast. This simple to make breakfast dish will perfume your house with cinnamon and oats and is best hot out of the oven, doused in cold milk, a perfect meal to share with guests.
If you want to try out a spring-ish baked oatmeal recipe, check out our Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal.
