Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

 

Can you tell I have an abundance of oats on hand? I wanted to bake some chocolate cookies for a friend, but didn't want to make a trip in to the grocery store. So, searched online and found this recipe -
Hershey's Kitchens - Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Since this was a new recipe, I assembled all of my ingredients while my butter was softening. Ever done that? It makes you feel like a cook on the Food Network! I had some Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa on hand that needed to be used up, so this was a perfect recipe. I think you could add chocolate chips if you wanted, and I did not add any nuts to my version. I also didn't have quite enough Special Dark Cocoa, so I made up the difference with regular cocoa. Click the link above for the original recipe and here's how I tweaked it.
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Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
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1 cup butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
3 cups old-fashioned oats
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until creamy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour and cocoa together in a separate bowl to remove any lumps. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 11 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet 2-3 minutes. Then remove to a clean linen towel to cool completely. Be careful not to overcook the cookies as they will not look done when you pull them from the oven. This makes 4 dozen.

And the winner is...

And the winner is

Karin said...
The Crescent Bacon Cheese Tartlets is my choice of the three.

MMMMMM! Reubens! Love them. Had lunch with my mom last week and ordered a reuben. It was delicious.

karin56381@gmail.com

Congratulations Karin! E-mail me at simplecookery@aol.com with your mailing address so I can have MyBlogSpark send you the Creative Creations gift pack from Pillsbury.

Hash Brown Sausage Cups

 

By far the most popular recipe was the Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets.  Though, I have to thank everyone that commented on my Reuben Rolls!  Thinking about how to tweak the Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlet recipe, I decided to go with sausage.  This is actually a mini version of a hash brown casserole.  I like the idea of using a little leftover sausage, peppers and potatoes to make a new breakfast treat.  Instead of making the mini-muffin cups, I made a larger version in a regular size muffin pan.  My version is meant more for breakfast rather than an appetizer.

After you look over the recipe, be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the Creative Creations Giveaway.  Thanks to Pillsbury for providing me with free crescent rolls to try out their recipe!  Now, we want to do the same for you.  Pillsbury is providing a Creative Creations gift pack through MyBlogSpark.  The gift includes 2 VIP coupons (valid in U.S. only) and some holiday serving platters.  If you left a comment on the last post, you’ll get an extra entry.  And, if you’re a follower of my blog, you’ll also get an extra entry there too!  Hurry though, all entries must be made by midnight, December 22, 2009. (This contest has ended - the winner was Karin!)

Hash Brown Sausage Cups

1 pkg Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cup sausage, browned & drained

1/4 cup chopped green & red peppers

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1/4 cup cooked, diced potatoes

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Unroll crescent rolls.  Press two triangles together at the seams to form a square.  Press each square into the muffin pan.  Mix egg and sour cream together.  Spoon about two teaspoons of egg mixture into bottom of each roll.  Combine sausage, peppers, onion and potatoes.  Spoon a heaping tablespoon of sausage mixture into each roll.  Top with remaining egg mixture.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper, if desired.  Top with cheddar cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 4.

Reuben Rolls

 

Our Christmas tradition has always  been a huge breakfast on Christmas Day rather than a Christmas Dinner.  So, on Christmas Eve, we usually have a few appetizers.  I love Reuben sandwiches, and Pillsbury  Refrigerated Crescent Rolls are the perfect way to begin a recipe.  These Reuben Rolls are an easy creation and you can add your own favorite fillers by making substitutions.

How do you like my platters?  Pillsbury provided those to me along with free Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent  Rolls through MyBlogSpark!  If you’ve ever visited the Pillsbury website, you know they have an abundance of tried and true recipes.  There are three in particular made with crescent rolls that I love:

Crescent-Wrapped Brie

Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets

Crescent Holiday Tree

Thanks to Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark, I have a Creative Creations prize pack to give away.  It includes 2 VIP coupons for Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent dough and great holiday platters.  But, first I need you to vote on which of the above recipe is your favorite.  Then I’ll re-create it with a few tweaks of my own.  You know how I love to change a recipe!  Just leave a comment on which recipe you like, and I’ll cook it up in a day or so. 

And, to get you started, here’s the recipe for my Rueben Rolls.

Reuben Rolls

1 pkg Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

8 slices of corned beef – sliced very thin

4 slices of Swiss cheese – sliced in 1-inch strips

1/4 cup Bavarian Sauerkraut

1 tablespoon brown deli mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Drain kraut well and set aside.  Separate and unroll Crescent rolls.  In each roll layer corned beef, cheese and kraut.  Squeeze a small amount of mustard onto kraut.  Roll up starting at the large end and rolling to smaller end – just like you are making crescent rolls.  Place on cookie sheet and bake 11-12 minutes or until golden brown.  If you use different fillers, top each roll with sesame seeds or cheese so you can tell the difference!

Clean Out the Fridge Soup

 

We’ve all been there.  A refrigerator full of leftovers that need to be used calls for a pot of soup!  I experimented with this soup by not adding any salt since I was using canned veggies.  Mix and match your favorite leftover vegetables.  You could also add a can of beef broth to make it heartier.  But, I was pleased with the flavor and it was the perfect meal for a Winter night.

Clean Out The Fridge Soup

a/k/a Cabbage Beef Soup

1\2 pound ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 head green cabbage, chopped

1 pkg baby carrots (8 oz)

2 cups Shellie green beans

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup sliced celery

6-8 cups water

In a large skillet, brown beef, garlic and onion over medium heat.  Drain well.  In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 hours or until carrots are tender.

Simple Iced Date Cookies

 

I hope you noticed my recent posts of recipes for Date Cookies and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. These cookies taste great and are definitely different. However, they look very similar. While you can keep them separate during storage, it gets tricky when putting them on a serving platter.
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I had a little leftover white chocolate almond bark and decided to experiment with it as an 'icing'. I melted the chocolate and dipped the bottom of the date cookies in it, just allowing it to cover the edges. Then I placed it on wax paper to cool. Not only were the results delicious, but the cookies were easily identified. This also works great to hide the bottom of the cookie if it gets a little overcooked!

Don't Make a Clean Spot

I made the mistake of making a clean spot on my kitchen counter this evening. From there it expanded, and I spent several hours working on the clutter that has accumulated since the Holiday's started. I'm very lucky to have a large country kitchen with lots of counter space. But, when I think of my 'dream kitchen', my vision includes a enclume pot rack.
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I love the idea of enclume pot racks keeping everything within easy reach while cooking. Not only do they have a wide assortment of hanging pot racks, but they also have freestanding pot racks. Now, why didn't I think of this first? Freestanding enclume potracks can give you extra counter space along with the storage you need. And, this time of the year, we need all the extra space we can get!