Wacky Cakes

Until Boy #2, we used box cakes. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is my favorite. I miss the taste and the idea that it's more convenient. For a while, we did angel food cake mix since it was dairy and soy free. It's hit or miss if we can find a mix without corn product.

We finally decided it to bite the bullet and figure out how to make cake from scratch. We've tried a few recipes, but the only one I wanted to keep around was the chocolate wacky cake recipe I found at sweetlittlebluebird.com. The boys like it as cupcakes topped with raspberry or orange jello frosting. Mmm...

We tried the vanilla once, but it was bitter. Then tried the vanilla again, but as a platform to rework the guava/mango orange cake recipe for the boys. The flavor was fine, but the cake was gummy in the middle and hard on the outside. Next time, we'll try the lemon cake recipe instead, since it is similar to the mango orange flavor we were going for.

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Vanilla Wacky Cake

Lemon Wacky Cake

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

It's that time of year for Girl Scout Cookies. We got our supply of Tagalongs, Samoas, and Thin Mints. Surprisingly, after a week we still have 1/2 of the boxes we ordered. This just is does not happen!! We gobble them up. I guess I should say I gobble them up, but if I have one then I share with everyone else. Unfortunately, I haven't been eating them. Cursed pregnancy-induced heartburn!!! Chocolate exacerbates it, so I've been avoiding the stuff. But I wanted some yummy delicious cookies! I've been meaning to try this recipe for awhile and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Ingredients

• 18 ounces of your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe - we use the recipe on the Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats lid, it's safe for the 3As : Awesome Oatmeal Cookies
• 1 egg
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Ensure oatmeal raisin cookie dough is at room temperature (about a 15 minute rest on the counter if using refrigerated dough).

Combine dough; flour and egg in large bowl; beat until well blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios. Dough will be sticky. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

King Cake

Editor's Note: Consider yourselves lucky, since Valentines day is back-to-back with Carnivale season, you get two posts today. If I was a better editor, you would've had one (or both) of today's recipes last week, but c'est la vie!

Let the good times roll!! Today is Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before ritual fasting of the the Lenten Season, which starts on Ash Wednesday.

The king cake signifies the three kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and is shaped to represent a crown. King cake season begins on Three Kings Day (Jan. 6th)

The colors symbolize: Purple - Justice, Green - Faith, and Gold - Power.

Whoever finds the baby hidden in the cake, becomes King/Queen for the day and makes the cake next year.

12 oz fat free cream cheese, softened

½ C. powdered sugar

¾ tsp. vanilla

3 Tbs granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Nonstick cooking spray

2 packages of 11 oz refrigerated French bread dough

Plastic baby or dried bean

Icing:

1 ½ powdered sugar

3. Tbs whole milk (half and half works)

Green, yellow, and purple sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

For filling, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in medium mixing bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

Blend sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl.

Lightly coat plastic cutting board or work surface with non stick cooking spray. Unroll 1 package refrigerated dough on to work surface. Unroll second package alongside first, over lapping slightly to make one long piece. Press along seam to seal well. Sprinkle dough evenly with cinnamon mixture. Spread cream cheese mixture length wise on dough, leaving 1 inch along the edge uncovered. Roll up dough, starting with cream cheese side. Pinch along seam to seal in filling. Place dough on prepared baking sheet and gently twist. Attach ends of dough pieces to form large twisted circle (to resemble crown); pinch tightly to seal ends together. Insert plastic baby/dried bean underneath dough.

For icing, combine powdered sugar and milk in a 2 cup measuring cup with spout, and stir until smooth. Drizzle icing evenly onto coffeecake. Sprinkle on colored sugars, alternating colors to make 3 sections of 3 colors each. Let coffee cake stand at least 1 hour to allow icing to firm up. Cut into 2-to 3- inch piece to serve.

The Best Caramel Brownies ever!

A few years ago, I would get together with some ladies in the neighborhood for a weekly brunch. I planned themes for our brunches. One week, it was family favorites and Aubrie Ivie brought this delicious recipe to share with us.

Ingredients

• 1 German Chocolate cake mix
• 7 Tbs melted butter or margarine
• 1/3 C evaporated milk
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 50-60 kraft caramels
• ½ C evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Mix together cake mix, butter and 1/3 C evaporated milk. Pat ½ of the mixture into the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Bake for 7-8 minutes.

In a separate microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and ½ C. evaporated milk. Melt mixture in the microwave, stirring every 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Remove the cake from the oven & sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the baked cake. Pour the caramel mixture over the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the remaining cake mixture over the top. Bake for another 18 minutes. Cool and serve.

Guava Cake

Now that you've had Tuesday's pork, you need a delicious Hawaiian desert to follow the meal. Guava cake is probably my favorite cake. Although it's a little fussy, it feeds a crowd and is quite tasty!

Note 1: To do the cake, frosting and glaze, you need 3 cups (2 cans) of guava concentrate, one cup in the cake, 2 tablespoons in the frosting, and the rest in the glaze.

Note 2: I actually prefer orange-mango or passion-orange-guava (POG) concentrate over straight guava for this recipe! You can use whichever fruit you like.

Note 3: Don't wait until the cake is frosted to start the glaze. It takes a long time to cool to room temperature. If you do forget to start the glaze early and it is still hot when the frosted cake is cool, you can put the saucepan in an ice water bath to chill it quickly; however, don't let it get so cold that it won't pour!

Guava Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 3 oz. box instant vanilla pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen guava juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 cup Sprite (0r other lemon-lime) soda

Directions

Grease and flour a sheet pan or jelly roll pan. Mix all ingredients and pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool.

Guava Cake Frosting

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons guava juice concentrate, thawed
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cup Cool Whip

Directions

Cream together cream cheese, guava concentrate, and powdered sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Frost cooled cake and chill in fridge.

Guava Cake Glaze

Ingredients

• 15 fluid ounces (i.e. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons for frosting) guava concentrate
• ¼ C water
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

Directions

Bring guava to a boil in a saucepan. Shake the water and corn starch into a slurry and whisk into boiling guava. Simmer until glaze is translucent. Cool to room temperature, pour on chilled frosted cake. Chill again and serve.

Stovetop Popcorn

So air-popped popcorn is a great treat. Fat-free (until you add butter), quick, easy - I'm a fan. However, it is lacking in the flavor department. Also, it is really hard for salt to stick to dry popcorn, and popcorn needs at least a little salt to be all that it can be. Alton Brown developed this procedure for doing popcorn on the stovetop, and I must say that it is the best popcorn I've ever had. Since supermarket kernels are bred for bulk and poppability, you might want to consider specialty kernels on the Internet or a health food store - they actually have a flavor of something other than butter and salt!

A Note on Popcorn Salt
I only buy two kinds of salt: kosher and pickling. I really dislike the metallic taste that iodized salt has. Kosher salt is very cheap and tastes great on most stuff. However, you should not use kosher salt on popcorn, it's too course. You can make the fine powdery popcorn salt they use at movie theaters by putting regular kosher salt in a blender and grinding it down on high power. If you don't have any kosher salt, you could use pickling salt, but it's still a little course for me.

Hardware

• A large stainless steel mixing bowl (available from the restaurant supply store for cheap)
• Heavy-duty aluminum foil
• An oven mitt, hot pad, or welding glove
  

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegatable, canola, or peanut oil
• 1/2 cup good-quality popcorn kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon popcorn salt
• 3-4 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
  

Directions

Pour the oil into the bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the popcorn kernels and sprinkle on the salt. Tightly seal the bowl with foil and poke 15 holes in it with the tip of a knife. Put on the oven mitt, put the bowl over medium-high heat and gently shake back and forth (if you've ever done Jiffy Pop, you know what I'm talking about). When the kernels start to pop, shake vigorously (this is the part where it might burn, so keep the popped kernels moving)! As soon as the popping stops, immediately take off the heat and remove the foil. Gently stir/toss in the butter and serve hot.

Orange Slush

There's nothing like a delicious fresh-squeezed orange drink, especially when you've kicked it up by making it frozen! Your frozen dessert will taste much better if you use fresh squeezed OJ, but from the carton is OK too.

Ingredients

• 1 ice cube tray of frozen orange juice
• 6 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) orange juice (non-frozen, but cold as possible)
• 1 cup cold whole milk
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in a blender until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately. Makes about 4 cups.

Super Chocolatey Cookies

Most "chocolate" cookies are not very chocolatey. I believe the problem is that they are normally made from cocoa powder, which contains only chocolate solids. Cookies made from coca powder will not have any cocoa butter, which gives richness and savoriness that is sorely missed. These cookies have no cocoa powder at all - all the chocolate flavor comes from actual chocolate - 3 kinds in fact (semi-sweet, bittersweet, and unsweetened) - complete with the cocoa butter. The presence of all that fat makes these cookies quite fudgy - more like brownie bites than cookies. One important thing to note is that this cocoa butter will crystalize and become grainy if it cools too quickly. To prevent this, it is recommended that you let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet set on a cooling rack.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (not chopped bittersweet bar chocolate - the texture won't be right - I prefer Ghiridelli's 60% cacao chips)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature (put cold eggs in hot tap water for 2-3 minutes to warm them up)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Hershey's are good)

Directions

Create a chocolate melting rig by wrapping a small metal bowl with an electric heating pad and putting that in a large glass bowl. Put the unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate along with the butter in the metal bowl and turn the heating pad on high. Stir every few minutes until the chocolate is smooth and glossy, between 30 and 60 minutes. Remove metal bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly. If you're in a rush, you can use a double boiler, but the heating pad is a lot less stress.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium-high until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in chocolate mixture until combined, 30-60 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a large, stiff rubber or silacone spatula, fold the flour mixture and semi-sweet chips into the chocolate-egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let thicken for 20-30 minutes, until the batter looks like thick brownie batter or ganache.

Meanwhile, put the oven racks on the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and drop by heaping tablespoonfulls, 2 inches apart (I use a #60 disher). Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11-14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on cooling racks before serving. Makes between 35 and 50 cookies, depending on how heavy you scoop the batter.

Ginger Snaps

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I can't. Alton Brown is the genius who figured this one out. The cardamom, clove, and ginger give the cookies an Indian spiciness that fills the whole house as they cook. There are 3 different kinds of ginger in these cookies: fresh, ground, and candied. Each adds a distinctive flavor - spicy, savory, and sweet. I would highly recommend using homemade candied ginger as it has a depth of flavor not found in store-bought (even if it is a little labor-intensive to make).

Ingredients

• 9 1/2 ounces (by weight) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 ounces (by weight) dark brown sugar
• 5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 3 ounces (by weight) molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 ounces (by weight) finely chopped candied ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cardamom, clove, and salt.

Beat the brown sugar and butter in a mixer on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and fresh ginger and increase speed to medium, mix for 1 more minute. Turn off the mixer and remove the bowl. Add the candiedginger and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and thoroughly mix with the rubber spatula, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a small (2 teaspoon) scoop, drop the cookies 2 inches apart and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes (for chewier cookies), up to 15 minutes (for crispy cookies). Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through cooking.

When the time is up, remove the pan from the oven. Let the cookies cool for 30 seconds on the pan before sliding the parchment (with the cookies) off the pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, refrigerating between batches (you may have to slightly increase cooking time with the cold batter). Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days - not that they'll actually last that long!

Peach-Rhubarb Pie

I love pie. I especially love tangy fruit pies. Cream pies are OK, but I think the best flavor comes from fresh fruit that's not too sweet. Peach-Rhubarb is a great combination, mixing the perfect summer sweetness of peaches with the sour twang of rhubarb. You can fuss with the ratio of peaches to rhubarb if you'd like, just make sure you've got 1 pound total fruit. I'm not too patient when it comes to rolling out dough, so I use the quick and easy solution of buying a pre-made crust - no mixing, rolling, or any other fuss. One more thing: I'm not sure if I'm using too much filling for my pie pan, but this recipe frequently boils over in the oven, making the sheet pan on the oven rack an absolute necessity.

Ingredients

• One package frozen pie crusts for a two-crust pie (I like Marie Callender's)
• 8 ounces sliced peaches (frozen is fine)
• 8 ounces sliced rhubarb (again, frozen is fine)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca pearls, ground in a blender
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a sheet pan on the bottom rack. Prepare crusts for filling according to package directions. Whisk together 1 cup sugar, tapioca, and salt. Stir in peaches, rhubarb, and lemon juice. Pour into pie shell. Crimp the top crust onto the bottom crust. Using kitchen shears, cut 5 slits about 2 inches long through the top crust. In a small bowl, beat the egg with one tablespoon of water. Lightly brush onto top crust, being careful not to brush egg into the slits. Sprinkle the superfine sugar on top of the pie. Bake for 60 minutes (90 if using frozen fruit). If the crust starts to brown too much before the time is up, place a ring of aluminum foil around the edge to protect it. Let cool for at least 4 hours (8 would be better) to allow the filling to set up before serving.

Blueberry Pie

I saw this recipe on America's Test Kitchen on PBS this weekend. It looked so good, we had to try it right away. It is really dellicious!

A note on the use of vodka in the crust: Alcohol is wet, but will not produce gluten in the crust like water will (gluten makes pastries tough and chewy - not what you want in pie). A "wet" dough is necessary to ensure it will roll out thinly enough and create flaky layers. Since vodka is around 50% alcohol and imparts no flavor to the dough, it is a good choice to help make the crust easier to work with. Additionally, since Alcohol boils at 180 degrees and the pie bakes for an hour at an average temperature of 375 degrees, very little (if any) alcohol will remain in the finished pie. If you are opposed to using any alcohol at all (e.g. for religious reasons), you can substitute 2 tablespoons of water for 1/4 cup vodka - just realize that the dough will be much stiffer and harder to roll out.

Crust Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup shortening, chilled and cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup vodka, chilled
• 1/4 cup ice water

Pie Filling Ingredients

• 6 cups (about 30 ounces) fresh blueberries
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
• all the zest and 2 teaspoons juice from one lemon (toss the remaining juice with the apple shreds to keep them from browning)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca, ground in food processor or spice grinder
• pinch table salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Additional Ingredients

• Flour for rolling out the crust
• 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water (AKA "egg wash")

Directions

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until the dough is homogenized and clumps up (around 15 seconds - there should be no "loose" flour left in the bowl). Scrape the dough up with a spatula and evenly distribute around the processor blade. Add remiaining 1 cup flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the dough is broken up, about 4-6 quick pulses. Empty the mixture into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle the vodka and water over the dough and fold with a rubber spatula. Work the dough until it is slightly tacky and all comes together. Divide the dough in half and form into two 4-inch disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes (up to 2 days).

Remove one of the chilled dough disks from the refrigerator and roll out on a generously floured (up to 1/4 cup flour) clean work surface. Form a circle approxamately 12 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. Move the dough onto the center of a pie plate, leaving at least 1 inch of crust hanging off the entire circumference (gently rolling about half the dough onto your rolling pin and then unrolling over the pie pan is an easy way to do this). Working around the edge of the pie pan, slightly lift the dough off the lip and press it onto the bottom and sides of the pan (this ensures the crust is making good contact with the pie pan and will not shrink up or crack as it cooks). Do not trim excess dough yet. Place pie pan in fridge to chill the dough while working on the filling.

Adjust oven rack to it's lowest position, place a sheet pan on the rack and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups of berries in a meduim saucepan over medium heat. Mash the berries several times with a potato masher. Cook berries, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces to 1 1/2 cups (about 8 minutes). As the berries cook, mash a few more times to ensure the juices are released. Cool slightly before adding to other ingredients.

Wring out the grated apple in a clean kitchen towel, getting them as dry as possible. Combine apple, cooked and uncooked berries, lemon zest and juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt in a large bowl. Pour into the chilled pie shell and scatter remaining butter pieces over the filling.

Roll out the remaining dough on a generously floured (up to 1/4 cup flour) work surface to an 11-inch circle. Using a small biscuit cutter (about 1 1/4 inches), cut a hole in the middle of the dough disk. Cut an additional 6 holes in the dough, 1 1/2 inches from the first one and evenly distributed around the center. Place the dough on top of the pie (use your rolling pin to help), leaving at least 1/2 inch dough hanging off the edge all around the pie pan.

Using kitchen shears, trim top and bottom crust together to an even 1/2 inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself flush with the edge of the pie plate. Flute the edges using the thumb and forefinger of one hand pressed into the forefinger of the other hand. Brush top crust all over with egg wash. If dough has softened, chill for 10 minutes in the freezer.

Put the pie on the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbly and the crust is a deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack a room temperature for at least 4 hours. Do not skip the last step - you will be eating blueberry soup if you do!

Pudding Cake

I'm not a huge fan of plain chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (it's usually too dry), Kai on the other LOVES it, so I bought a box of Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake for his birthday party. On the back, I discovered this tasty recipe: Chocolate-Peppermint Poke Cake.

It was wonderful. Since then I've made different variations:

1. Straight up chocolate, no peppermint stuff.
2. White cake, banana pudding filling, white frosting, banana slices covering the top
3. Yellow cake, coconut pudding filling, chocolate frosting, toasted coconut generously sprinkled on top

I plan to try a white cake, lemon pudding filling, a thin layer of raspberry jam with lemon frosting on top. I'm not sure how that will turn out but we'll see.

The Pampered Chef ® Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Torte Recipe

Here's a favorite dessert from when Michelle was a Pampered Chef Consultant. She always loved demonstrating the cookware when this was the result!

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray with flour
• 1 pkg (18-21 oz) traditional or chewy brownie mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 pkg (1.5 oz each) peanut butter cup candies
• 1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter morsels (1 2/3 cups)
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray Torte Pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Place 8-in. circles of parchment paper over centers of pans; set aside. In a 4-qt. mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, 1/2 cup of the oil, water and peanut butter; mix well. Divide batter between pans, spreading to edges. Bake 10-12 minutes or until centers feel firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, dice peanut butter cups; set aside. In a Classic Batter Bowl, combine peanut butter morsels and remaining 1 tbsp oil; microwave on HIGH 1-2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring after each 30-second interval. Spoon 1/4 cup of the peanut butter mixture into resealable plastic bag; set aside. Fold marshmallows into remaining peanut butter mixture.

Remove pans from oven to Cooling Rack; let brownies stand in pans 4 minutes. To assemble torte, invert one brownie well-side up onto a platter. Using a spatula, spread marshmallow filling into brownie well. Invert remaining brownie well-side up onto cooling rack; slide onto bottom layer. Evenly distribute diced peanut butter cups into brownie well. Trim corner of filled bag to allow peanut butter mixture to flow through; drizzle over torte. Serve immediately.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 470, Total Fat 24 g, Saturated Fat 10 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Carbohydrate 53 g, Protein 10 g, Sodium 250 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tip: To easily cut torte, knife into hot water between cuts and wipe dry with a damp paper towel.

It's best to use a nonstick cooking spray containing flour (for baking) when baking these brownies.

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on the Internet the other day, posted by an Allrecipes.com user named "Michele." I don't know who you are, but your cookies are amazing!

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain or butter-flavored shortening
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl (or stand mixer) cream together shortening, white and brown sugar, and peanut butter. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Add the oats and stir until they're evenly distributed.
Drop by tablespoons (I use a #60 disher) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until just light brown (don't over-bake). Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and move to a wire rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.