Oatmeal Caramel Squares with Salted Cashews and M&M’s

I want to get rid of the excess Halloween candy around here before the next round of holiday treats hits. Who wants to celebrate Hallogivingxmasvtines Day? Ok honestly, it might be fun to throw a crazy party in March with all the accumulated garbage. I could start a new tradition!

Here I topped plain oatmeal blondies with melted caramels, salted cashews and M&M’s and sent them to work with my husband. Salted cashews and oatmeal must have justified them as healthy enough for consumption, because they disappeared in a hurry.

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels, unwrapped
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup salted cashews, divided
3/4 cup M&M’s Milk Chocolate Candies

Ingredients
1. Line a 9x9 inch pan with foil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center position.

2. In a bowl or stand mixer mix together the butter and brown sugar. Then add baking soda and salt and stir in. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. Lastly, add the flour and mix until just combined.

3. Spread the mixture into the pan and even out.

4. Bake for 22 minutes. While the bars are baking, microwave the caramels with 2 Tablespoons water and 1 Tablespoon butter stirring every minute or two until melted.

5. When the bars come out of the oven immediately top with melted caramel, salted cashews, and M&M’s.

6. Bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan placed on a cooling rack.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chubbies

Martha Stewart and I regularly go to blows. I don’t know why, but I can’t make a cookie recipe of hers to save my life. This cookie began life as one of her peanut butter sandwich cookies. And as usual, my right eyeball began to pop out of its socket, and my eyebrows hit my hairline when I realized there was no way this recipe of hers was going to come together as planned. Again.

I barely restrained myself from beating this dough about the head and shoulders, once I realized something so crumbly didn’t have a prayer in hell of being rolled out as per the instructions. These were City Hall cookies, they had to be done, and I didn’t have time to make another batch. So I grabbed my mini cookie scoop and started packing in this crumbly mess of a “dough”, and turned it out onto parchment in half rounds. Not daring to disturb the mounds, I just baked them that way.

After the dough came out of the oven, I dipped the underside of a dry measuring cup into some sugar and flattened them slightly. What I was left with were the best darn little peanut butter oatmeal cookies I’ve ever tasted. Holy moly these little chubbies are tasty.

Martha Stewart got it half right. Or maybe I got it half right. Either way, I just want another cookie, or five.

Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Jiff peanut butter (I love Jiff in cookies)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
Granulated sugar for finishing

Instructions
1. In a large skillet melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Add the oatmeal and cook, stirring often until toasted. About 5 minutes. Pour oatmeal onto a baking sheet and cool completely.

2. After the oatmeal has cooled, line a of couple baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. In a stand mixer add 2 sticks of butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until fluffy again. Add the salt and baking soda and beat until combined. Add the oatmeal and beat until incorporated. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

4. With a size 60 mini cookie scoop, pack in the dough with your hands. Turn the dough out onto the cookie sheets about an 1 ½” apart. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, set aside a small bowl of sugar and a dry measuring cup bigger than the cookies. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, dip the back of the measuring cup in sugar and flatten the cookies slightly. Re-dip into the sugar about every third cookie.

6. Let cool on the cookie sheets a couple more minutes, then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Martha Stewart recipe heavily adapted by Laura Flowers.

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed fresh brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1 (6.8 OZ) bar of your favorite milk or dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a mixer cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, white vinegar and salt. Once combined and fluffy add baking soda and baking powder and mix briefly. Add Flour and mix until just combined. Add Oatmeal and mix briefly. Add cherries and chocolate and mix until incorporated.

Using a standard size 50 cookie scoop, scoop dough onto parchment about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until browned around the edges. Let rest on the cookie sheet for about 3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Note: If cherries are too dry soak them in some boiling water for a few minutes and strain before using.

Makes approximately 64 cookies.

Recipe by Laura Flowers

Oatmeal Coconut Date Cookies

I wanted to make a cookie with some of my favorite ingredients and created this not too sweet, hearty cookie, that’s great with a cup of coffee in the morning. For an over the top variation this cookie would be great with the zest of an orange and/or a cup of chopped toasted walnuts.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed fresh brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoons coconut extract
Fresh ground nutmeg to taste
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a mixer cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, molasses, vanilla extract, coconut extract, fresh grated nutmeg, and salt. Once combined and fluffy add baking soda and baking powder and mix briefly. Add Flour and mix until just combined. Add Oatmeal and mix until incorporated. Mix in dates.

Using a standard size 50 cookie scoop, scoop dough onto parchment about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until browned around the edges. Let rest on the cookie sheet for about 3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes approximately 65 cookies.

Recipe by Laura Flowers