Oatmeal Cookies Two Ways: Chocolate-Cherry and Butterscotch-Chip

I know that as summer rolls around, people start choosing frozen treats over baked goods, but I wholeheartedly believe that even during the summer, nothing can beat homemade cookies.

Butterscotch-Chip on the left and Chocolate Cherry on the right

These cookies are for when you just need a good, chewy cookie. The cookies that I have to share with you today are not soft, airy cake cookies, but rather chewy, textured oatmeal cookies. That’s why they’re best served warm with a glass of milk!

Yummy Fillings

Carmely sugar and butter mixture

Sugar mixture plus flour mixture

Dough combined

Mixed again after addition of egg and vanilla

Although my mom has always had a soft spot for  oatmeal raisin cookies, to be honest, I’ve never been a big fan. I always felt like I was getting ripped off by finding yucky raisins instead of chocolate chips in my cookies. Unlike raisins, tangy sour cherries, on the other hand, are delicious. Even still, everything is better with chocolate chips.

Two bowls of basic oatmeal cookie dough

Butterscotch and Chocolate Chips added

Dried Sour Cherries and Chocolate Chips added

Butterscotch-Chip on the left and Chocolate Cherry on the right

That’s why I first decided to make cherry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. But Goose hates cherries (or any fruit for that matter) and whenever I bake, I like to be able to share the goodies with him. So I decided to also make chocolate chip butterscotch cookies, so that he could have some too. Instead of making two entirely different cookies, I wanted to make a basic dough that could suit us both. Hence, these super-adaptable oatmeal cookies were the perfect fix. Simply divide the batter into two (or more) bowls and add whatever mix-ins you want.

Butterscotch-Chip cookies ready to bake

Chocolate-Cherry cookies ready to bake

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies (for me)

Butterscotch-Chip Cookies (for Goose)

Chocolate-Cherry and Butterscotch-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted From Cooking Light

Serves 60

Ingredients

•  2/3 cup all-purpose flour
•  2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 2/3 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Combine flours, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar until smooth.
4. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Then add the vanilla and eggs and beat until combined.
5. Divide the dough among two bowls and add cherries and one cup of the chocolate chips to one bowl. Add butterscotch chips and the remaining chocolate chips to the other bowl.
6. Drop tablespoons of the dough two inches apart onto the baking trays from the first step.
7. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Repeat until you have baked all of the cookies.

Other possible flavor variations…the sky’s the limit!

• Pistachio Ginger
• Salted Caramel
• Apple Pie (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and freeze dried apples)
• Peanut butter
• Pumpkin Pie (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pumpkin puree)
• Maple Pecan
• Rocky Road (mini marshmallows, walnuts, and chocolate chips)
• Fluffernutter (peanut butter chips and marshmallow fluff)

Tasty, Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Coming back from a relaxing two weeks of break has had some of ym loved ones down, so I decided to bake a batch of these Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins to brighten up the morning.

These super moist and delicious muffins are as healthy as they are yummy, with antioxidant-rich dark chocolate chips, fiber-licious oats, and protein-full greek yogurt, and vitamin C-packed pumpkin.

The muffins take just a few minutes to whip up with this easy, one-bowl recipe.

I know that Valentine’s day is over a month away, but when I saw these cute heart-covered cupcake liners at the store, I just had to buy them. Besides, hearts are a good way to show people you love them year round…right?

So if you have a little free time on your hands, whip up these muffins for an easy weekday breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a healthy dessert. If they aren’t gobbled up immediately, they are great to freeze too!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (regular or nonfat)
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1 tbs milk
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners
3. Combine all dry ingredients (flour, oats, brown sugar baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) in a bowl and stir
4. Add in all wet ingredients (pumpkin, yogurt, eggs, and milk), and stir until just combined
5. Add in chocolate chips and stir gently
6. Spoon in muffin batter until the liner is about 3/4 full
7. Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes, then allow them to cool

This is a very versatile recipe, so feel free to play around with it! Here are some possible alterations:

• Add nuts, cranberries, dried cherries, cocoa nibs, or pumpkin seeds in place of or in addition to the chocolate chips
• Swap out the brown sugar for  1/2 cup cucanat or 1/4 cup honey + 1-2 tbs molasses
• Use 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
• Add almond milk instead of milk and flax eggs in place of the regular eggs to make it vegan

Namaste my lovely readers!