By The heat is really here now. After playing outside I come in sweaty and Mama makes me drink water right away. This week I experimented with stretching a rotisserie chicken from Walmart into three meals. First night chicken and rice, second night chicken tacos, third night soup. It worked! I wrote all three recipes with costs — under twenty dollars total.
On Tuesday Kayla and I made cookies together. They were a little burnt on the edges but we ate them anyway and laughed. She said when I'm a doctor she'll come to my office and draw pictures for the kids. That made me smile big.
Thursday Daddy came home early and we had a family game night. I made popcorn and we played until it got late. I like nights like that when everybody is together and not tired.
Saturday MawMaw Shirley let me lead the whole red beans and rice. I soaked the beans the night before and seasoned everything just right. She tasted it and said it was almost as good as hers. Almost. I laughed and hugged her.
At night I wrote in my notebook: "Food stretches further when you're creative. Just like dreams." My hair is in a high puff because it's wash day tomorrow. Twelve years old and already figuring out how to make little things feed big families. I'm stirring slow and steady. The roux is getting darker every week.
That Tuesday with Kayla is one I’ll keep for a long time — flour on our hands, laughing at the edges we left in the oven a little too long, eating them anyway because they were still good. Next time I’m making these Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, because the oats keep the center soft even if you’re still learning your oven. A little peanut butter, a little chocolate, and a best friend beside you — that’s all a Saturday afternoon really needs.
Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 11 minutes | Total Time: 26 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low until just combined — do not overmix.
- Fold in oats and chocolate chips. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough. Use a medium cookie scoop or two tablespoons to portion the dough into balls. Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. Do not overbake — they will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on the pan. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This keeps them soft and chewy in the middle.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 115mg