Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Tonight's project was oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!  These are pretty quick to prepare, but fair warning - they're very addicting!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and nuts.


Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Snowball Cookies

Some call these Mexican Wedding Cookies, but I like to call them Snowballs!  They're fun and easy to make, but better to eat :)  I leave out the nuts, but they can be added in at the end.

Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup  powdered sugar, divided

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups  flour

1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and pecans, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 1-1/2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 14 to 15 min. or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Roll warm cookies in remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar until evenly coated; place on wire racks. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Cookie Swap

Today was one of my favorite days of the year - Cookie Swap Day!!  Combining two of my favorite things - baking and the holidays!  The rules are pretty simple - everyone bakes a ton of one kind of cookie or dessert and divides them among the participants (no store bought cookies allowed!).  I had 12 people involved, so everyone made 6 dozen (6 pieces for each person).  At the end, you end up with 12 different types of cookies!  Here are some pictures of the big day.

 Only some of the treats!

My lovely assistant helping me get ready by making chocolate covered pretzels.

A cheeseball snowman

Obviously, I can't have a party without some cupcakes!  These are German chocolate with a vanilla buttercream.

One of my favorite bakers - my brother Matt!

Some bakers

More goodies!

One of my bffs and college roommate, Krissy and I 

Some of my friends since elementary school (Amy, me, Casey and Kim)

Pink Sugar Cookies!

Sugary, buttery and sparkly!

Just roll balls of sugar cookie dough in some sparkly sugar and bake for 10 minutes at 350