Take a Megabite

Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I ran out of eggs! It’s ok though because this cookie recipe is the kind that keeps it real without them. Basically these little ice cream sandwiches were meant to be.

These are really good. Even though the chocolate chips didn’t want to stick to the ice cream on the sides and fell sprinkling the floor on the walk to the freezer. And maybe some of the cookies were too warm when I sandwiched them and the ice cream tried to make a run for it. And maybe there was one odd cookie left over and I had an open-faced ice cream sandwich, standing over the sink, while mini chips sprinkled my dinner plate, water glass and spatula.

Don’t worry guys. I plan on mastering ice cream sandwiches at some point in my life. Maybe I’ll go back to school and major in it. But until then, I’m totally down with the imperfect, tasty version I can do right now. Time to go have another one.

Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches (makes about 14 ice cream sandwiches)
Recipe for cookies adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

oatmeal cookie -

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 stick (8T) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• sprinkling of cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup + 6 T all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• heaping 1/4 t kosher salt

filling -

• vanilla ice cream or whatever other flavor to fill*
• mini chocolate chips

* I used up a half gallon of vanilla ice cream minus 3 root beer floats worth.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (if you have it) place balls about 3 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in water.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the wire rack for two minutes-ish until they can be transported easily to a wire rack. When cooled match them up by size.
4. Meanwhile set ice cream out on the counter to soften slightly for easy sandwiching. Or if it’s a soft ice cream you’re all set. Scoop a couple tablespoons between two cookies at a time. Smoosh together until ice cream reaches the edges of the cookies. Roll the edges through mini chocolate chips and place in the freezer on the baking sheets for at least 2 hours, or until firm. Either eat immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap until time to eat. I found they were nice and frozen over night.

P.S. The oatmeal cookies stay nice and soft when frozen. Which is necessary for easy biting, right?

Nervous about having 14 ice cream sandwiches chillin’ in the freezer?
Pack them up and bring them to work for some post-lunch goodness.

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two

I’ve been trying to be more like Fergie lately. You know, the whole “up in the gym, just workin’ on my fitness” thing. So when I wanted waffles for Sunday breakfast, I figured I’d look for one packed with oats and protein and all that good stuff. And on top of all that, the brown sugar makes you totally doubt the need for syrup. So there you go!

These waffles are healthy, but don’t hold it against them. They are go-od.

Next time I make these, I think I’ll mash up the berries so the juices get all up in the waffle nooks.

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two {makes 4 waffles}
Recipe adapted in half from Eating Well

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 T cornmeal (or toasted wheat germ)
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t canola oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
• fruit, for topping

* If you don’t have buttermilk pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Set aside for a few minutes then use.

Directions:

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl, let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal (or wheat germ), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Whisk the egg, sugar, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon enough better to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Top with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powered sugar.

I over-filled the waffle maker every single time. So, now you know.

Mrs. Fields Cookies {My Favorite}

So these cookies are called Mrs. Fields cookies, but my mom refers to them as Megan’s Cookies. These are my most favorite and I hadn’t made them until now because I didn’t have a blender for the oatmeal! Ok… I’ve had a blender since last summer, so what’s my problem? Well, one of my friends is having a birthday today and he love love loves oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. So there you go. I made him the best ones.

P.S. After work today I’m out. Out of chocolate chips. Out of town. Out of Michigan. Driving up a storm. I’ll be back Sunday and depending on the time I get back… I’ll bake something for you.

P.P.S. Look at this dough! It’s packed with semisweet chocolate chips, grated milk chocolate and ground oatmeal. These are my favorite, and you guys are my favorites. You totally deserve these in your life!

Mrs. Fields Cookies {makes about 6 dozen}
Recipe from Mrs. Field’s + Mrs. DeCookie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 cups ground oatmeal*
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz. grated milk chocolate

* Put the oatmeal in a blender until coarsely ground.

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat until combined.
2. In another medium bowl whisk together the flour, ground oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Beat into the sugar and egg mixture until all mixed together. With a wooden spoon, and using some muscle,  stir the chocolate chips and grated chocolate into the dough.
3. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes or until golden on top and set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then maybe eat them for dinner, or give them to a hip friend of yours for their birthday.

I’m so full because I had to sample the dough f’sho.

Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies

I’m working on growing up. Sometimes I wear bright red lipstick.
I (try to) wear high heels despite the icy sidewalks.
And rumor has it adults eat oatmeal. If I’m an adult, and I can do what I want, I will have my oatmeal in a cookie and feel very mature about it.

These cookies are brownie-esque since there is both cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate involved. So yeah, they can’t help but be related to their hip to be square cousin.

(Hey Elliot, are you peaking at me? Are you peaking at me or the the cookies? I’m gonna guess the cookies.)

I made a half recipe of these little chewy morsels. The whole recipe makes 50 cookies! That’s a lot of cookies… So I opted for closer to 25 cookies, to match my age, or something. If you need 50 cookies in your life, just simply double the recipe below.

Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies
Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my Home to Yours

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 1/2 t water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats + a few for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Position your oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 35o degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Meanwhile, melt together butter, water, brown sugar and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until everything is just melted together, immediately removing from heat, so as to make sure the butter doesn’t separate from the sugar and chocolate. Don’t even bother being concerned if the mixture looks grainy.
4. After removing the bowl from heat, whisk in the egg. The dough will get super shiny. Whisk the dry ingredients into the melted chocolate mixture, stirring only until the powder disappears into the dough. Stir in the oats. Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each spoonful. Sprinkle a few bits of oatmeal on top to bring some contrast and flair to an all brown cookie.
5. Bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating half-way through, until the cookies are dark around the edges and just slightly soft still in the center. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat with remaining dough.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maybe I’ve been spending a bit too much time dancing in my car to the new Tegan and Sara. Maybe it’s weird that I practice songs for karaoke when I have no plans of ever really singing one alone. Maybe I did sing “All I Want for Christmas is You” last year…in a group. Maybe the rumor is that we sounded like Kidz Bop. Maybe I had pizza for lunch and totally disguised my pizza-champ-eating-skills for the sake of being a lady. But most importantly; maybe I’ll just let these cookies ruin my dinner and feel perfectly fine about it.

I’ve been thinking about oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for awhile now. Ever since: my sister gave me a few giant bags of oatmeal + that time I saw this recipe on a Homesick Texan’s blog. They are delicious little two bite cookies that happen to be a bit addicting. You might eat one and feel the need to confirm your love by eating a few more. Don’t bother saying I didn’t warn you.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 cup of oats
• 1 cup of whole-wheat flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 cups of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar and egg. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Place 1 teaspoon-sized balls of dough on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Makes four dozen.

Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars

These are just the snack you need when you want to pretend it’s healthy because there’s oatmeal involved. We’ve all done it. You know the scenario when you’re at the store and you could get oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip, but for some reason you feel like the oatmeal will push that cookie into the granola bar category…

So make these guys, and eat them and feel good about it. For real.

Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars
Recipe from Recipezaar and my Mom

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/8 t salt
• 3/4 cup strawberry jam

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees, and in a large bowl mix everything together but the jam.
2. Measure two cups of the mixture and press into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Using a large spoon, distribute jam evenly over the mixture in the dish.
3. Take remaining mixture and sprinkle on top of the jam and press down lightly.
4. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in dish for at least 20 minutes before serving. These are delicious warm.

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever been crabby for 4 days in a row? 
Just when I thought I was going to be crabby forever these cookies made their way into my life. They are amazing. There is just enough peanut butter to make you remember why life is ok, and everyone knows that cookies that involve both chocolate and oatmeal are amazing. One bite of these and you will turn into an annoying ray of sunshine.

Oatmeal + Peanut Butter + Chocolate = these amazing cookies
Recipe is from allrecipes.com and is ours now courtesy of Bakers. 

Ingredients:
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon CALUMET Baking Powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup butter, softened
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup peanut butter
    • 1 egg
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 1 cup chocolate chips, chunks, mini peanut butter cups or whateva

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat butter, sugars and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until well blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate.
2. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 1 min.; remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.