Gotta Have My Oats

I've been in a cookie mood all week. It's been an empty pit inside me, like a void that only a certain chewy, buttery goodness could fill. So what do you do when your stomach and soul has this kind of weird kind of 'help me, dude' feeling?

You fill it.

The king of all cookies in Adam's world are oatmeal cookies, and then closely followed by sugar. Yup, it's a pretty much a two horse race, with the winner having better chance if I haven't seen them in awhile. Or, in this case, when fellow bloggers make something that reminds me of my childhood. Ever find it funny how you can't shake some of your childhood habits no matter how much you try? There's nail biting, pouting with stomping feet, temper tantrums... and of course childhood foods.

I'm not talking about mashed peas in your hair... but oatmeal cookies.

If you haven't already (and I bet you have), check out Maria's blog over at Two Peas and Their Pod. She has a fantastic site that focuses on healthy, spontaneous recipes, and she knows no boundaries in the culinary world. From desserts to soups, she rocks it. That's all you need to know :) So when I stumbled on her Iced Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies, I heard a voice call me. Because it wasn't a telemarketer or school loans calling, I answered :) While I absolutely love her base recipe, I of course just added a couple of things, because... well... that's what I feeling. You can view her original here.

Iced Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Maria
-4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1 egg
-1/2 cup applesauce (homemade in my case)
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 1/2 cups oatmeal
-1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ginger
-Zest of one orange
-Dash of salt
-1 cup raisins

Preheat your oven to 350*, and set your oven's middle rack up. In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until well combined, and then add the egg, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix well until evenly incorporated, brown and smooth, about two minutes. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, zest, and salt, and mix and fold until it comes together into an oaty, great smelling dough. Fold in the cup of raisins gently.

On an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop out the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving spaces for cookie growth. I made about 2 dozen cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until they spring back to the touch, and let cool on in pans of a minute. Then cool completely on wire racks.

Whoa, Adam... you forgot the Iced part of the cookies? Well... yes... yes I did. I just don't think they need them. The cookies are super soft, and the flavor is wicked strong already. So I like them the way they are. So I'm sorry to offend any frosting-heads, but I'm walking away from it. You can go for it if you want, but I'm going down the icing-less road. And what a delicious road it is.

Now because it's been a week since I posted last, I thought I would share a little more info with you cool cats today. Susan at Yum Ninja tagged me... so I need to share 7 more facts about myself. I'm lucky I'm very, very, interesting. Here's some randomness...

• I'm a quick learner, but sometimes try to start things before I should
• I'd rather sit shotgun than drive most days
• I enjoy going to the mall and people watching
• I get excited when lobsters go on sale
• I still watch the Thanksgiving parade... still
  
• A good song on the radio can completely flip my mood
• When I go out to eat, I have to get something I would never make at home

Well that's it. I have to get going on my last week of my internship, and as of Monday... I'm d-u-n done, baby. Have an awesome week :)