Yummy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

For this month’s Taste & Create recipe exchange, where food bloggers are paired up and try recipes from each other’s blogs, I decided to bake cookies. Something I rarely do, but the Peanut Butter – Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Carol’s No Reason Needed blog sounded too good to pass up. Taste & Create is a fabulous way to find new recipes and meet other foodies. Check it out.

The recipe below reflects the changes I made, namely reducing the amount of sugar. The original indicates to drop the cookies by tablespoons on a baking sheet in "ball form." They came out somewhat doughy and dry. Hummmmm. How could cookies with so much butter, peanut butter, and chocolate, not over baked, not be absolutely delicious? For the second batch, I flattened the cookies with the tines of a fork before baking - like I've always done with a peanut butter cookie. Much better. The flavor of batch two was quite pleasing, especially warm right out of the oven. A good solid cookie recipe and super easy since you basically just mix everything in your Kitchenaid mixer.

Peanut Butter - Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1-1/2 C smooth peanut butter
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/3 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 C quick oats
1/2 C all purpose white flour
1/4 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 package (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat peanut butter and butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugars; beat until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Mix oats, flour, and baking soda. Add the peanut butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in the chocolate. I do need to get a plug in for THE best chocolate chopper ever. It’s really an ice pick, but doubles quite nicely for this job. This device can be purchased at The Kitchen Conservatory.

Drop a tablespoon of dough, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpats. Flatten with the tines of a fork. Bake 10 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheet about three minutes.

Remove to wire racks; cool completely.