Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

So many main course posts lately, it's time for a few sweet things!

If you want a real treat that's easy to prepare and delicious with a cup of coffee or tea, this one's for you. You can tell yourself they're healthy with the old-fashioned oats in them, but I'm sure the Weight Watchers points wouldn't lie. These are probably off the charts on the points (but they are off-the-charts good)! The picture is a little deceptive because they look like they have nuts on top, but that's the buttery oatmeal topping.

So brew yourself a pot and sit down with a couple of these. Don't forget to pack a few in your kid's lunch too. They'll be pretty popular sharing the likes of these sweet treats!

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats

Fudge filling:

   1 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
   1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together the softened butter, sugar and salt. Add flour and oatmeal and blend until consistency of a dough. Press the mixture into the bottom of a well-greased 9x13 baking dish, reserving some for the crumbled topping.

Heat sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan or over double boiler and add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, then pour over crust in baking dish.

Crumble the remaining flour and oatmeal mixture over the top and bake 25-30 minutes.

Peanut Blossom Cookies

The ubiquitous Peanut Blossom Cookie, with its telltale Hershey's Kiss on top, boasts about as many recipe variations as the Chocolate Chip Cookie. Somewhere along the line, the recipe was modified to contain (egads!) shortening and there was just something about shortening in cookies that Grandma didn't care for. Sometimes it couldn't be avoided (as in Snickerdoodles--although I think she kept the butter version for these too!), but Grandma was of the mind that shortening was useful only in pie crusts and that's about it. The flavor of it just didn't cut it in cookies--especially these cookies. All that to say that I am so thankful Grandma held onto her original recipe for these delights, which called for a stick of butter. God bless her.

Also, I wanted to share this recipe for my dear peanut-butter-loving friend, Maggie. This one's for you kid!

Peanut Blossom Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (or creamy, if you prefer)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 unbeaten egg (at room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Hershey's Chocolate Kiss candies

Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift all dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix to blend. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven; top cookies with Chocolate Kisses. Press down firmly until cookies crack around edge. Replace in oven for 2-5 minutes until golden brown. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Grandma's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Several days of posting main course recipes and I'm ready for something sweet!

Grandma was famous far and wide for her chocolate chip cookies and many folks received plates of them...just because. There was cheer and care in each bite and they were perfect for someone who needed a "pick-me-up." Grandma was so good that way--but you already know that.

The "secret" ingredient in these makes them filling and hearty without being too heavy. They are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon and you will be called blessed if you pack four or five in your kid's school lunch.

Grandma had a thing for oats in her cookies. Several weeks ago we posted Chocolate Oatmeal Wafers, but they are crispier than these. I believe that of all the hundreds of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, these are the real deal in the traditional sense. Plus this recipe has yielded the most consistent result.

And while we're on the subject of consistent results, Grandma always reminded me to make sure the dry ingredients I use (especially the baking powder and soda) are fresh, fresh, fresh. It really does make a difference in the quality and outcome of everything you bake!

Grandma's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 eggs (at room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

2½ cups old-fashioned oatmeal (not quick cook), finely processed

2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.

Measure oats and blend in blender or food processor to a fine powder.  With a fork or whisk, mix together flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add slowly to creamed mixture until combined then add in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

Grandma's Toffee Bars

It was easy to tell when Grandma's Toffee Bars were in the works. The tell-tale inventory of huge Hershey's Chocolate Bars, the baking dish on the counter, the chopped pecans...we just knew.

These are actually more like cookies, because the crust is softer and a little less dense than other toffee bar recipes. In my humble opinion, these are the best toffee bars out there. They don't take long to prepare and waiting for them to cool is what takes the most time. It's hard to cut them into squares when they first come out of the oven because the knife "pulls" through and you can't get a clean cut. So waiting is best.

Great Grandma Kate c. 1968

There's a picture of my Great Grandma Kate (Grandma's mother) sitting at the kitchen table. In the middle of the table was a little snowman and a plate of these cookies. That was probably Christmas about 40 years ago, so these cookies go back a long way and of all the cookie recipes in Grandma's collection, these are our family's absolute favorite. (How many times do we say that?!) They are a little pricey to make because of the candy bars, but when they go on sale it's the perfect time to stock up!

Gram’s Toffee Bars

 Crust:

½ cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg (at room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Topping:

½ lb Hershey’s chocolate bar (2 large bars)

½ c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Combine butter and sugar and beat until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla and blend thoroughly.  Stir in dry ingredients and mix until dough is stiff.  Press into  9x13 greased baking dish and bake in 350F oven 30 minutes.  Evenly distribute pieces of chocolate bar on top of crust and melt. Spread out chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Wait until almost cooled before cutting. 

Chocolate Oatmeal Crisps

Even though there are a million and one cookie recipes containing chocolate chips, pick any one and you couldn't possibly mess it up! This one contains rolled oats and nuts. We prefer no nuts in ours, but even without them the result is amazing!  Light, crunchy, and loaded with chocolatey goodness. What's more, they pack up beautifully in a gift bag or a box as long as you give them plenty of time to cool. They are a perfect addition to your holiday cookie repertoire!

Chocolate Oatmeal Crisps

¾ cup sifted flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup butter, softened

6 Tbsp brown sugar

6 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg, unbeaten

¼ tsp hot water

½ cup nuts (optional)

1 package coarsely rolled chilled semi sweet chocolate pieces

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

½ tsp vanilla

Sift flour, salt, soda. Thoroughly mix butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. At low speed beat in remaining ingredients.  Drop by teaspoonful on ungreased cookie pan. Bake in 375F oven for 10 minutes or until done.

Chocolate Dollies

Some cookies become a tradition. They're also so good there ought to be a law! These are one of those unlawfully good cookies. 

The recipe was given to Grandma by another neighbor, Janice, who became another lifelong friend, even after she and her growing family moved away.  Janice's mother and father (closer in age) also became dear friends with Grandma and Grandpa. The entire family has kept in touch  our family for nearly 60 years.

Perhaps it was the era. Things were a little less complicated, more relaxed, and a lot more personal. Handwritten notes were the rule and not the exception. Phone calls were frequent and often they would last for hours. Ringing a neighbor's doorbell and presenting a plate of warm, freshly baked cookies was not unusual and these cookies were probably one of those doorstep "gifts" that Grandma had to have the recipe for. Whatever the circumstances, these have become as traditional in our family during the holidays as roast turkey on Thanksgiving! 

Chocolate Dollies

Crust
1 cube margarine or butter
1 cup rolled graham crackers

Melt butter in 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle crumbs and press in to form crust, then layer the following ingredients in the order given:

1 package butterscotch chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 package chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Pour  1 can sweetened condensed milk over the top  and bake 25 minutes in 350F oven. Cool and cut in squares.