smart cookie

Yesterday I burned my hand on the oven trying to cook a frozen pizza. This is a good indicator of my level of competence in the kitchen. I don't like cooking, and cooking doesn't like me.

But there is one thing I can do, and do well, and that's make cookies. Or at least one particular kind of cookies, which have been unofficially dubbed "Everything Cookies" because they are like oatmeal, chocolate chip, and peanut butter cookies all rolled into one sinfully delicious cookie. I can't take credit for the recipe...that came from my mom...but after many years I do have the baking down to a science.

For those of you who know me well, you will probably never have any reason to make these yourselves since I bring them to pretty much every event we ever have.  But just in case...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

18 oz jar creamy peanut butter

18 oz box Quaker Instant Oatmeal

12 oz bag Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 tsps baking soda

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Soften butter/margarine in the microwave.

In large mixing bowl:   Beat sugars and butter.  Blend in eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.  Add peanut butter and stir until well mixed.  Add chocolate chips and blend.  Add oatmeal, a little at a time.

**This mixture will be very thick and sticky...you will get a real arm workout trying to stir in all the oatmeal.

Put large tablespoons of mixture onto sheets of aluminum foil.  Bake 8-12 minutes (depending on your oven) or until very lightly browned on top.

Enjoy!