Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Cookies are great.  But sometimes ... sometimes you just don't have time for a cookie and all the work that comes with it.  Sometimes ... you just want to throw something in a pan and then eat it. 

Bars are the best when you want that cookie taste but not the fuss. 

Plus sometimes bars are like a great marriage of cookie, bar, and cake. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoon butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashion oats

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350F

2.  Cream butter and sugars on medium until creamy

3.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat until incorporated

4.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl.

5.  Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture

6.  Add oats and chocolate chips

7.  Cover a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.  Be sure to leave some of the parchment hanging over the pan so that you can easily remove the bars later.

8.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove to wire racks. 


Baby Girl got to have a couple of bites of a bar.  I sent some with her when she visited my parents.  I am sure she got much more there.


I do want to try different add ins next time. 


Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone once in a awhile I crave a oatmeal cookie.  It's not often.  But sometimes it happens. 

There is just something about a chewy oatmeal cookie that can be so satisfying.  But they must contain chocolate chips for me.  NOT raisins.  A warm chewy oatmeal cookie is the best snack. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoon butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashion oats

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350F

2.  Cream butter and sugars on medium until creamy

3.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat until incorporated

4.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl.

5.  Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture

6.  Add oats and chocolate chips

7.  drop 2 tablespoons of dough onto cookies sheets covered with parchment paper

8.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets and then remove to wire racks. 


This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.  Perfect for sharing. 


Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

With a 15 month old I have learn that time is something that I do not have.  I try to do some baking when she naps on the weekends but it seems that something always comes up. 

These bars are super easy to make and tasty.  AND the perfect snack when my daughter wakes up

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoon butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla exact

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oats

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350F.

2.  Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until fluffy

3.  Add eggs one at a time until incorporated

4.  Add vanilla extract and mix well

5.  In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Mix well.

6.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just mixed

7.  Add oats, white chocolate, and cranberries

8.  Spread in a 13 x 9 metal baking pan lined with parchment paper. 

9.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes


Keep baking my friends!


XOXO

Banana Oat Muffins

I think I have posted more banana recipes than anything else in the last 6+ months.  I can't help it.  El Hubby and I always have banana around.  It's a good snack food before and after a workout.  Then if they get too ripe you can't eat them cause they contain to much sugar.  Or can you ...

This banana oat muffin recipe that I am sharing is not too sweet at all.  Perfect for those who do not have a sweet tooth.  Which means 95% of my Asian family and friends.  

Banana Oat Muffins
From Honey & Jam

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Combine flours, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat eggs until light.  Stir in milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the mashed bananas and combine thoroughly.  
5. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined.  DO NOT OVER MIX OR MUFFINS WILL BE TOUGH.
6. Spray a mini bundt pan with cooking spray and divide batter into pan.  Bake for about 14-16 minutes.

I brought these as a snack to a Tzu Chi meeting and they were a hit.  For me I thought these need more sugar.  They are definitely a muffin and not a cake.  But less sugar means more healthy.  Plus the oats are great for fiber. 

Khloe the pup is a very loved dog.  Looking at Khloe the pup it is hard to imagine that she came from a shelter and when El Hubby found her there she was just laying in the dirt.  Now she sunbathes on the patio.

Keep on cooking!

XOXO
Peggy

Oatmeal Banana Bread

I try to bring some baked goodies for every Tzu Chi event I go to.  Sometimes what I bring is healthy and sometimes not so healthy.  It all just depends on my mood and what is currently on the top of my "recipes to try" pile. 

I had a oatmeal banana bread recipe that I have not had a chance to try yet.  Perfect! 

I brought this bread to a meeting.  Judging by the empty plate I will say it was a hit.  This bread is perfect for the people who do not like things too sweet.

Oatmeal Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 bananas, very ripe
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.
2.  Mix mashed bananas, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
3.  Mix four, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and stir until combined.  Add to banana mixture.
4.  Stir in raisins.
5.  Pour batter into a greased mini loaf pan.
6.  Bake for about 37 minutes.

You can add chocolate chips if you like but since I was going with the healthy theme I stuck with raisins.

My crazy pup and husband keep me quite busy.  These two seem to always be up to no good.  It's either playing fetch inside the house or jumping on furniture these two are always up to something.  What can a girl do?

Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

How do you make a banana muffin healthy?  You add oats in it of course!  Okay.  So that's usually my solution to making any baked goods healthy.  Or add wheat flour.  But whatever!  I am pretty sure it works.

Bananas are one of those foods that you can eat at every meal.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.  There is a restaurant in my town that makes banana beef.  It's not too shabby.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins
Adapted from babble

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin pan
2.  Mash bananas, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.  The mixture will be lumpy.  It is okay.
3.  Mix flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until combined.
4.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  DO NOT OVER MIX.
5.  Add raisins.
6.  Use a ice cream scooper and scoop batter into prepared muffin pans.
7.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until tooth pick insert comes out clean.
8.  Cool on a rack.

These muffins are best with a slab of butter.  Oh wait.  Everything is better with a slab of butter!  On a more serious note this muffin is for sure a breakfast muffin.  This muffin is not too sweet and with the blend of oats and wheat flour it makes them perfect for my crazy Chinese family who always complain that "American" muffins are too sweet. 

The sweet pup waited with me for the muffins to cool.  Waiting is not something she enjoys to do.  Hence the face she is making.  Of course she was even more upset when she found out that there was nothing for her once the muffins where cool.  So of course I felt bad and gave her a teaspoon of peanut butter.  She waited nicely with me after all.

XOXO

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I heart my baby cousin. He is just the most adorable kid I know. Seriously. But to be fair I love all my family. So I have a freezer bag of frozen bananas thanks to my family who knows I love to bake. This bag was donated from cute little JakeEE so of course baked goods went to his house. I have so many banana recipes I have stacked up waiting to try so I am always excited when people bring me brown bananas. I know. I am weird.

So whenever I bake anything with peanut butter my dog is in the kitchen with me. The dog loves peanut butter. She can smell a peanut butter jar opening from the back yard. So of course when I decided to make peanut butter banana muffins the dog was waiting for her share of peanut butter. I know. I spoil my dog.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin pan
2. Mix milk, oil, egg, peanut butter, banana and vanilla.
3. Mix flours, oats, brown sugar and baking soda
4. Combine wet mixture with dry mixture until just combined.
5. Make oat and sugar topping.
6. Use a ice cream scooper and scoop into muffin pans.
7. Top batter with topping.
8. Bake for about 16 minutes.
9. Cool on cooling rack.

These muffins are amazing. You can eat them plain or with butter. Or with jam. The husband approved and of course the dog approved since she got about a teaspoon of peanut butter. I think the best part of this muffin is the topping.  Of course pretty much anything that has a topping is yummy. 

Hopefully little JakeEE and his household approves.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Oatmeal Streusel Banana Bread

What do I do when my husband tells me I don't need to make dinner and that we are going out to eat?  I bake!

I have been wanting to try more banana recipes and since my cousins gave me a bag of frozen ripe bananas I took the opportunity by storm.  I love any bread or muffin with a streusel topping.  Streusel topping makes everything better!  There is something about the sweet crumbly addition that makes you keep wanting to eat more. 

Oatmeal Streusel Banana Bread
Adapted from Baking Junkie

Ingredients:
Bread:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 over ripe bananas, mashed

Streusel:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoon cold butter

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a loaf pan with butter.
2.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.  Add sour cream and banana.
3.  Mix cinnamon, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add dry mixture to wet mixture.  Do not over mix!
4.  To make the streusel, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add to mixture.  Cut in using a fork or pastry cutter until mixture forms crumbles. 
5.  Pour the banana bread batter into greased loaf pan.  Top with streusel.  Bake for about 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
6.  Cool in pan.

This bread came out looking a little dark.  However the taste was still very yummy.  I think the only thing I would change about this recipe is to make it a muffin instead of a bread.  I had a little trouble making sure the middle of the bread was cooked and keeping the bread from burning.  I ended up covering the top with some parchment paper half way into baking.  I think by making it a muffin it would not only be easier to eat but the cook time will be shorter hence a more appetizing color (not so dark).

The husband and I took the pup to a dog park that we have not been before.  The dog park we normally take the pup to is currently under constructions.  They are reseeding the grass and fixing some pipes that were leaking causing huge mud puddles.  So on Sunday we took the pup to a dog park that a few of our friends have raved about.  This park was much bigger than our normal dog park.  Oh and so many more dogs were there for our pup to socialize with.  But of course the pup had to greet all the humans at the dog park first before attempting to make new friends.  The proud dog mom that I am loves it when other dog owners tell me how soft my dog is.  Ah so happy.  The husband and I both agree that when the day comes for us to have a k-i-d we will be one of those parents who always rave about our k-i-d.  For now I will enjoy my time with my 4 legged child and my baking.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have fantastic news!  The husband got a new job!  Whoot whoot!  This is very exciting for my little family.  Me and the pup are very proud of El Hubby.  Due to all the excitement some blogging and baking has been put to the side.  But have no fear I am back!

I have been dying to try a oatmeal cookie recipe that doesn't taste like a oatmeal cookie.  This may sound strange but why can't a cookie have oats and still be chewy, moist, soft, and creamily yummy?  Oh this recipe delivered!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
Adapted from Kristine's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
1/2 cup cream peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
2.  Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract; about 3 minutes.  Add the egg and beat to combine.  Gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.  Do not over mix!  Stir in the oats and then the chocolate chips.
3.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. 
4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.  (I prefer parchment paper)
5.  Use a 1 tablespoon scooper and scoop 2 scoops of dough on top of each other for each cookie.  Place cookie dough about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are a golden brown.  Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in a airtight container at room temperature.

I love the way my house smells after baking cookies with peanut butter.  Can they make a candle or air freshener that smells like that?  You know what I mean.  Oh well.  I guess I will just have to bake more often to have my house smell like pure yumminess. 

These cookies came out delicious and I can't wait to share them with my friends and family.  This recipe will get filed in my cookie section of my cooking binder.  Even the pup approves cause she gets to eat the left over peanut butter from the spoon I used to scoop it out.  

Enjoy!
XOXO

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I don't know what made me want to bake cookies with no AC but I did it.  Who knows what my problems is but I am sure my husband and my pup think I am insane.  It's been over 2 weeks and I still do not have a working AC.  It's suppose to be fixed this week.  I have been living in a house that runs anywhere between 90-93 degrees inside.  Pretty insane.  Oh and after the AC is all fixed I will be broke.  Ah it's Murphy's Law.  Just when I think I can start saving some money for a project something breaks and needs fixing.  Sad.  At least these oatmeal cookies were served at a cool place.  

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups oats
2 1/2 cups peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.  Whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. 
3.  Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes)
4.  Add eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and beat until smooth. 
5.  With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture and beat just until incorporated.  Do not over mix!
6.  Mix in oats. 
7.  Mix in peanut butter cups into batter.
8.  Use a small cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. 
9.  Bake for 9 minutes.  
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

The husband has been secretly eating my peanut butter cups and replacing them waiting for me to use them in a cookie.  However, I never knew old people would like this cookie this much.  My grandparents seemed to really like these cookies and sweets are not even their thing.  Must be the oats.  My godmother loves sweets so of course she approved.  Hopefully the next time I use this recipe it will be a better temperature in my kitchen.  I think it effected how my cookies looked. 

Enjoy!
XOXO

Maple Oat Buttermilk Bread

My mother in law loves bread. She is the person who will eat or try all the bread in the bread basket at a restaurant. Oh and she will take any leftover bread home too. So for Mother's Day brunch I made sure there was enough carbohydrate items for her.

This maple oat buttermilk bread is so yummy you would never know there were oats inside or whole wheat flour.


Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup quick oats

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

2. Whisk together the white flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the oil until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Stir in the oats.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until the bread is a golden brown. About 1 hour. The edges should pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. A tester inserted in the center should come out clean.

5. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then cool on a rack before slicing.

The bread turned out nicely. I think next time I might bake for a little less time. But with so many dishes going on for Mother's Day kinda got side tracked. Either way it was still yummy with butter or dipped in maple syrup.

Enjoy!

XOXO