Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Last night I was inspired after drooling reading through some yummy blog entries. I had a hankering for oatmeal cookies and chocolate. I have a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe (its Quaker's Famous Oatmeal Cookies) that has just the right soft-chewy consistency. I like adding white chips & dried cranberries it that recipe, but chocolate chips in a plain oatmeal cookie wasn't what I was craving.


I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks that doesn't feature pictures. (I HATE cookbooks without photos.)It's Best Recipes: From The Backs Of Boxes, Bottles, Cans And Jars and compiled by Ceil Dyer. All of these recipes were published by name brand companies and printed on packaging or advertisements. I've used this book so much! I love the fact that there is a little history with each recipe.


I ended up making Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, featuring Gold Medal Flour. (I even actually used Gold Metal Flour!) It is a good recipe although I tweaked it a bit. I used 1/2 Crisco shortening, because I like puffy oatmeal cookies, and I followed basic creaming procedures instead of just dumping ingredients together as the recipe indicated. Which, I'm sure would still make a satisfying cookie, but much money was spent so I could obtain a pastry degree, so I might tend to make things more complicated. (Whoa, complicated, like this paragraph's structure! But that's the fun in blogging-- ) I also used my special blend of cocoa powders and milk chocolate chips.

Anyway- I didn't take photos last night- but these are good. I also must mention to WATCH THESE COOKIES while they bake-- as chocolate cookies can fool ya. The first pan is a bit crisp, although still quite edible, the 2 & 3rd pans are the perfect chewy-ness & I have more dough in the fridge for later. I must admit, I don't like them as much as Quaker's Famous with the added cranberries & white chips. Maybe the dark dutch process cocoa over did it? Hmm. I think a big pan of brownies would have been just the thing-- but the brownie blogs I read yesterday might be swaying my focus a bit! I'll take pictures tonight-- Right after the Kindergarten's' Christmas Program. (oh. fun. do I really havta go?)