Oatmeal, raisin, white chocolate, walnut cookies!

Hey kids!

So once again I found myself in the kitchen after 11pm with the urge to bake...thanks to Pinterest! I had just pinned some yummy looking cookie recipes and the rest of the gang was on board for something sweet...even if that meant cookies and milk wouldn't be had till midnight-ish. I knew I had a big big tub of oats and some raisins...only thing..the oats were Quick Cooking oats, which are never what is called for in oatmeal raisin cookie recipes...so what to do? Concoction time!

I did some searching and after finding a few recipes that called for Quick Cooking oats, I set to mixing! I knew I had some white chocolate chips, and some walnuts to throw in...

Here is what I came up with, and they were so so yummy! Chewy and moist, yet nicely browned on the edges. The recipe is a keeper! My brothers couldn't keep their hands out of the cookie jar!

Oatmeal, raisin, white chocolate, walnut cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups of quick cooking oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

preheat oven to 350

Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar till smooth.

add egg, then vanilla.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Stir in oats, raisins, white chocolate chips, and walnuts.

Drop tablespoon size balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 mins depending on your oven.

Leave on cookie sheet 5 mins before removing to cool on cooling rack.

Enjoy with some cold milk!

xo Jenny

Not your Mama's banana bread.

Ok so, Pinterest...I seriously cannot say enough. I cannot go a day without popping in...at least 5x! I kid you not. Even if for only 5 mins. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have all night pinfests. It's just that good. And I'm sure I'm not the only gal in town who has put on the pinterest 10...much like the freshman 15. After pinning, one cannot just walk through life, let alone their kitchen without thinking..ohhhh what could I make! From organizing tips, to decor ideas, fashion wish lists, to Recipes! It's pretty much an addiction. So of course when I paused my pinning to walk to the laundry room to switch over a load I spied the bananas on the kitchen table..instantly flashed to the left over buttermilk from our Valentine's dinner recipe..and wizza wizza what..I was baking up a batch of these adorbs lil scrummy yummies before I knew it.

Ok, so our generation grew up eating banana bread when mom or grandma couldn't bare the thought of tossing out that browning bunch. It was never a planned, shopped for treat. Not that it wasn't yummy. Who am I kidding I don't think I've met a bread or cake I didn't like (read devour). But you know what I mean.

Ok so, I came across this recipe for buttermilk banana bread. Which

boasted being the best. It sure looked good. And seemed to be much more than an "only for salvadged nanas" recipe. I happen to own wayyy more baking pans than I should. all shapes and sizes. I'm a sucker for cutesy cakes. So I pulled out a mini loaf pan I had, and a cakelet pan (twinkie) from Williams Sonoma. Pulled together my ingredients, which were all pretty much staples, but for the buttermilk. Super duper simple! all dry in one bowl, all wet in the other...mix em up...pour in pans!

Recipe:

Mix together:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl combine:

3 eggs

3/4 cups softened butter

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 large mashed bananas

I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine dry & wet ingredients. Mix well.

Pour into greased mini loaf pans.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 mins. Till edges are golden.

BEST results if baked in mini loaf pans! :)

But here is where the chubster in me had to take it to the next level...

Once these cuties are cool...

Slice in half, spread with cream cheese and blackberry jam! Ahhh! Yes! This is the stuff that makes mouths happy. And they are pretty darn adorable aren't they? They'd be the perfect afternoon tea party treat! Served wrapped in large cupcake wrappers, you know hugging them like a blankie. Maybe a light sprinkling of powdered sugar too. They make me feel British when I eat em. I love those Brits and their sweets. Geez... and their kitchen "dressers", which we call hutches. They always stock them with stripey bowls and jugs, and polka dot plates, and cutesy egg cups.

Much like these:

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Pure cozy cuteness huh? Alright, I'll be snacking on these sweet bits for the next few days. Who's gonna join me?

Be back soon! Enjoy your weekend!

xo Jenny