Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips & Cowboy Cookies

We've had a lazy, but productive Saturday. We slept in, ate breakfast at Wa-Ho, got some more supplies for the house, and have been working on various projects since then. Mike's projects have included caulking everything inside that still needs to be caulked [bless him!], finishing the trim on the doors in the kitchen [hallelujah!], and helping me raise the guest bed / rearrange the furniture in there. While he was hard at work I added some dirt to the plants in the window boxes, rearranged the furniture in the guest room, took a short nap, and baked a lot of stuff. (: I've missed these kind of Saturdays - no running around, just hangin' out getting stuff done!

I baked the Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips because I had some bananas in the fridge that were going bad...like they were already pretty black. AND, I actually had everything in the pantry / fridge that the recipe called for (: 

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

• 2 mashed bananas (the riper, the better!)
• 4 oz natural, unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 3 cups Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp mini chocolate chips
• *I didn't have mini chocolate chips, so I used a little more than 1/4 cup of regular chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas and add applesauce. Mix the rest of the ingredients into this bowl except for the chocolate chips. Let sit while you prepare the muffin pans.
2. Spray a muffin pan or add liners to muffin tin.
3. Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter.
4. Divide batter into 15 muffin cups. They should be just about filled.
5. Bake 20-30 minutes, you'll see the edges just starting to brown and they'll be firm to the touch.

*The muffins may stick when hot, but are easily removed when cooled for a bit.

While I had out the ingredients I just mentioned the famous Cowboy Cookies and Mike immediately got googlie-eyed and asked for some. So, I also made Cowboy cookies, just for him. I tweaked the recipe a little though and skipped the nuts [because we were out] and added shredded, unsweetened coconut. YUM! At some point I want to try them with peanut butter! (: 

*I also have never made them in a sheet. It only added a few minutes to the bake time and will be just as easy to serve and enjoy! 

holiday baking extravaganza

Tuesday morning I spent about 4.5 hours baking. I love to bake, I really do. I made cowboy cookies, pound cake (regular & lemon), cranberry & wild blueberry pie, and white chocolate peppermint cheesecake. Some of them are gifts for Mike's co-workers. Some are treats for Bible study dessert parties or family get-togethers. 

cowboy cookies (a staple around here)

 Gram's Never Fail Pound Cake

The red pans were regular pound cake, the green ones (and big one in the middle) were lemon pound cake (and it was dang good!)

Christmas goodies for Mike's co-workers 

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

 melting the chocolate

We have to wait until CHRISTMAS to see how it tastes!

the HUGE mess in the kitchen (after round 2 of baking...I'd already cleaned up a mess at least this big already!)

baby pound cakes!

Cranberry & Wild Blueberry Pie

Cowboy Cookies Revised

Cowboy Cookies

(from Tasty Kitchen)

MIX: 1 cup white sugar (or Splenda), 1 cup brown sugar, 2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

ADD 2 eggs to the above mixture.

IN A SEPARATE BOWL sift together 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

ADD to sugar/butter/egg mixture.

ADD 2 cups oats, 1 pack (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup butterscotch chips, 1 small bag chopped pecans.

BAKE at 350 degrees on greased baking sheet for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack (otherwise they are so soft and gooey that they will fall apart!)

Cowboy Cookies Revised

MIX: 1 cup white sugar (or Splenda), 1 cup brown sugar, 2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. (it helps if the butter is softened, but not melted---room temp. is good)

ADD 2 eggs to the above mixture - one a time.

IN A SEPARATE BOWL sift together 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups flour (try whole wheat!), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. 

ADD to sugar/butter/egg mixture.

ADD 2 cups oats, 1 pack (12oz) semisweet chocolate chunks, 1 cup mixed dried fruit (or more..i just took the bag and dumped a bunch in!), 1 small bag almond slivers (or pistachios, hazelnuts..whatever!)

BAKE at 350 degrees on greased baking sheet for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack (otherwise they are so soft and gooey that they will fall apart!)

these (as are the original) are delicious!! lots and lots of fruit and oatmeal. (and, healthy for a cookie) (: