Chocolaty Double Crunchers — The Wednesday Dinner Cookie

The household has decided Wednesday dinners with Mama are now a tradition. Mama drives over from her place every Wednesday at six (she moved into a smaller rental on Lakewood after I got married, gave us this house). The four of us — me, Dustin, Cody, Brayden — at the table with Mama for dinner. Wednesday is the slot where everybody is reliably home and not at a Sonic shift or an auto-body shift or a college class. The pattern started in September after Brayden turned one. Six Wednesdays in a row now. The pattern has officially become a tradition.

The recipe Wednesday was chocolaty double crunchers — chocolate-cookie sandwiches with a peanut butter filling, dipped in chocolate. The dessert Mama loved at the third Wednesday in a row, so I made them again this week.

The recipe is below.

Chocolaty Double Crunchers

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
4. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined.
5. Fold in mix-ins. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and crispy rice cereal. The dough will be thick — that’s what gives these their crunch.
6. Scoop and flatten. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down slightly with the palm of your hand.
7. Bake. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone. Do not overbake — they firm up as they cool.
8. Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 105 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 55mg