Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies

My little family and I recently relocated to Colorado.

Moving is the worst. Seriously. I never need to do it again. But the biggest thing that made it worth it? The kitchen.

Oh and the views. The views are amazing.

(That's 2 apples and a cherry tree in the backyard AND to the right we have some amazing views of Mesa Verde!)

And the little fox that comes to visit our backyard at the same time every night. Or the deer that make their way through our backyard. Or the fact that the cool crisp mountains are just a 10 minute drive away. I could go on and on.

The first thing I did (with the help of my MIL) when we moved in was put together the kitchen. Today I was itching to make (and eat!) some cookies. I'm calling these the "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" cookies since I just threw in a bunch of bags of leftovers I had in the pantry. You could easily sub or leave out whatever add-ins you like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 ½ cups flour (¼ cup added for higher altitude)
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups sweet add-ins (I used a mixture of dark chocolate, semi-sweet and butterscotch chips. Others you could try: milk chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit, toffee bits, caramel bits, M&M's, etc...)
• 1 cup nuts (I used toasted pecans, again, you could use whatever nuts you prefer, or leave them out)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In your food processor, pulse the oats until semi-fine. Set aside. In your stand up mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until well blended. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, eggs and lemon juice. Mix well. Slowly add the oats, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Fold in the nuts and sweet add-ins. Scoop out onto cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Yields: 50 cookies (using a medium cookie scoop).

Peach & Almond Baked Oatmeal

I love baked oatmeals. And this one is no exception! I love that you can just throw everything together and bake it. And you could make it the night before for an even easier breakfast treat. Plus it's healthy. So it's a win-win! 

• 2 cups old fashioned (rolled) oats
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 2 cups almond milk (I used vanilla flavored) you could also substitute regular milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter OR coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh or frozen peaches
• Peaches and almonds for the top, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 dish and set aside. Mix together your oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and almonds, set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, egg, melted butter or oil, vanilla and almond extract. In your prepared baking dish, arrange the chopped peaches evenly over the bottom. Pour your dry mixture even over the peaches then pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture, making sure the milk covers everything evenly. If desired, add some extra peaches and almonds to the top. Bake 40 minutes or until the top is golden and set. Let cool a few minutes before cutting into. Serve warm with milk or yogurt. Or as is. 

Freezer directions: Make this in a freezer safe dish. Follow all the steps until baking. Before baking place in freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to eat, thaw and bake as directed above.

Recipe from:

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/baked-peach-almond-oatmeal/