Happy National Homemade Cookies Day!
When I think of homemade cookies I think of three basics, chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal. When my kids were little I would let them taking turns picking what type of cookies I made that week. They all had a favorite. Rachel liked chocolate chip, Ashley liked peanut butter and Katie would pick whatever her sisters told her too (the disadvantage of being the baby). I like all three, it depends on my mood. While I have hundreds of recipes for each type, I tend to stick with the basics most of the time.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
My go to was the recipe off the back of the Nestle chocolate chip package for years and it still is if I am in a hurry. It has a few too many chips for my taste so I tend to use about 3/4 of a package (I know I am in weird but I don’t like too many chips). If you pull them out of the oven a little early, they will be soft and chewy or you can make them a little longer for crispier cookies.  However I really like soft thick chocolate chip cookies. I started experimenting with the different recipes but a lot of them required you to refrigerate the dough and frankly I don’t have the time for that. The winner is this simply recipe from The DIY Mommy.
The Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies – The DIY Mommy
These cookies bake up soft and thick and stay that way for several days and it does not make too many. If you like something a little different in your chocolate chip cookies check out my Chocolate Chip Cookie Board.
Peanut Butter Cookies
My love of food started early. My mom claims she never had the patience to let me help her cook but that is not how I remember it. I can remember sitting in the kitchen with her while she cooked and she generally would find something small for me to do. When she would bake peanut butter cookies she would let me dip the fork in sugar and press the cookies down and that would make me happy. I don’t actually know what recipe my mom used for peanut butter cookies but her’s tended to be crisp on the edges and soft in the middle, very traditional and delicious. I like a softer cookie so tend to experiment a lot with peanut butter cookies to find a winner. This one is from Six Sisters’ Stuff is my current favorite
Disneyland Inspired Peanut Butter Cookies – Six Sisters’ Stuff
 Check out my Peanut Butter Cookie Board for more great ideas!
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal was always the least popular. My husband was a fan but the kids were ambivalent. There is always the discussion about raisins vs. chocolate chips or butterscotch ships, nuts or no nuts. While I will certainly eat them all ways my preference is straight oatmeal, no add ins. I am on the look out for an oatmeal cookie that bakes up soft and chewy versus thin and crisp. Any suggestions? Some great ideas are available on my Oatmeal Cookie board.
- 3/4 cup butter or margarine
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 cups quick oatmeal
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped nuts
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Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg, water, and vanilla.
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Mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture.
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Stir in oatmeal, raisins, and nuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Let them cool on cookie sheet before removing.
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You can substitute chocolate chips or dried cranberries for the raisins. I prefer pecans but walnuts will work.
Curl up with your cookies and a good book!
I would love to find out more about you. Please leave a comment.
Do you like your cookies thick and soft or thin and crisp?
What homemade cookies did you grow up with?
