Intended to Make a Pot Roast Today – but, Peanut Butter Toasted Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies Came out Instead

  Peanut Butter/Toasted Oat/Chocolate Chip Cookies adapted from Karen DeMasco

The other night I read about these cookies in Andrew Carmellini’s American Flavor.  I immediately parked these in the memory bank.  These cookies came to Andrew from Karen DeMasco, that New York Restaurant School alum who has become well-renowned in the pastry world.  Karen left Locanda Verde this past June and actually, I am not sure what she’s doing now.

This morning when I awoke it was doing some sort of sleet thing all over my mid-November roses.  My mind immediately changed seasons even though I am not ready to give up my flowers.

Anyway, I toyed with the idea of going into the City and decided on tomorrow instead.  Then I said to myself, it’s a good day for a pot roast .(Movie Trivia:  “I would have made a pot roast. But, I didn’t know if you ever had pot roast, or whether you like pot roast.”.)

Anyway, the morning went by doing a bunch of other unrelated errands and tasks and I came upon the urge to make cookies instead.  Cookies instead of Pot Roast?  Oh well – in the short run, it seems like a good idea!  I’ll have to deal with dinner later………..

you will note:  no eggs in this recipe

KAREN DEMASCO’S PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – via Andrew Carmellini’s American Flavor

with slight adaptation:

for the toasted oats: 

1/2 stick unsalted butter 1 cup rolled oats

For the cookies: 

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups chocolate chips

To make the toasted oats: 

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the oats and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-4 minutes until the butter is absorbed and the oats toast up.  When they are ready, they will smell slightly toasty when you lean in close.  Set the oats aside, off the heat.

To make the cookies:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter on low speed until smooth.  Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and peanut butter.  Blend for 3 minutes on medium speed until creamy.  Scrape down sides of bowl 2 or 3 times.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low just until the flour disappears – scrape down as needed.  Then add the rest of the flour mixture.  Mix again on low until fully incorporated, scraping down as needed.  Remove bowl from mixer and add the cooled toasted oats and chocolate chips.  Mix together with a wooden spoon. 

Spoon by (3TBLSP) ice cream scoop-fulls onto the cookie sheets, 9 to a sheet.  Press down slightly with your fingers before baking.  Bake for 8 minutes, turn the sheet and bake another 8 minutes or until lightly browned on edges and centers are just slightly soft.  Remove from oven  In my oven this took closer to a total of 20 minutes.  Do not overbake. 

Enjoy.  These are a crumbly, delicate cookie, but full of flavor – be careful – you could wind up eating the whole batch!