Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi everyone! Ashley and I have been super busy this summer. Ashley has moved and gotten a dog! I have gone back to school! There's a lot going on these days, but in case you haven't noticed based on all my previous posts involving chocolate, I'm never too busy to make cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats, regular or quick
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

Instructions

First: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put rolled oats in blender or food processor and process until finely ground. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

Then: In another bowl, cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer. Add vanilla, lemon juice and eggs and beat until fluffy.

Next: Stir the flour mixture into egg mixture until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.  Use a spoon to help scoop round balls and place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Finally: Bake about 11-14 minutes. 

Link to the original recipe.

These were so delicious I forgot to take a picture before serving them. I think it's the oats and cinnamon together. Maybe the lemon juice? I have made these twice and the first time I put the oats through the food processor to make a fine powder out of it.  The second time I left them whole.  This changes the texture of the cookie for sure and mildly changed the taste of it. It somehow was less oat-y tasting when the oats were powdered. 

The only weird thing I experienced was that they didn't flatten as much as I expected. They turned out kind of thick and puffy.  So look out for that when rolling your cookies. You may want to flatten them with a fork or your thumb just a little before baking. Any advice about how to avoid this? I like my cookies less cake like generally. Have you ever tried chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon? With lemon juice? Give these a try and tell us what you think!

Gluten Free Granola Bars

Hello, everyone! As I continue to experiment with and learn about gluten-free options, I have realized that being gluten-free is not easy. Since this blog is about two friends learning about life and finding ways to make growing up (no matter your age!) easier, I've debated sharing my gluten-free struggles/recipes. These types of things are a bit more complicated than crock pot dinners and DIY necklace stands. However, if like me, you are struggling with dietary issues, then maybe a post just for you can help make YOUR journey through life simpler.

With that in mind, I bring you--GLUTEN FREE GRANOLA BARS.  A friend shared this recipe with me and it has made breakfast a simple morning pit stop, rather than a huge ordeal.  I have a kitchen-aid mixer (thanks, Grandma!) and whipped these bars up really quick, thanks to that handy thing!


Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2  1/2 c. oats
1/2c.  rice krispies
1/4 c. coconut
1/2 c. choc. chips (or other add ins)

Steps one and two: Cream butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Then mix in oats, rice krispies, coconut, and chocolate chips.

I went to Whole Foods where my great friend, Brandon, helped me find everything I needed to make these bars. The only ingredients I already had were butter and salt. My ingredients totaled $30.00. "What? That's so expensive!", you may be saying. However, most organic granola bars are about $6.00/6 pack. These ingredients yielded 12 bars in this batch, and I have enough of everything leftover to make about 5 more batches (I'll have to supplement oats @ $1.00/lb.) That's 60 bars for $35.00, as opposed to 60 for $60.00. Don't forget--you could use coupons or buy in bulk. Also, these are gluten free, organic, and fair trade! Good for your wallet, your body, and the world!

Steps three-seven: Mix well. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 18 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes and cut into bars. Let cool completely in pan.

Tip: I did not use a 9x13 pan and that increased my cooking time. Look for your oats to be well browned and easy to cut. If they are really falling apart when you try to cut them into bars, they have not cooked long enough. 

These are the raw, pressed oats. Make sure they are very brown before removing them from the oven!

Remove and enjoy!