Salted Oatmeal Cookies
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My mom is hosting a baby shower on Sunday 
(and a bridal shower tomorrow–two different women and tons of baking for us!) and these cookies are the soon-to-be mom’s favorite. She first told me about them months ago, saying she ate them all the time while living in Virginia but hasn’t seen them out here in California.
Thanks to Google, I found a recipe based on the bakery’s secret cookie. These are so good–easy to make, sweet and salty, and crispy on the outside and chewy (thanks to the brown sugar) on the inside. A near perfect cookie. Why just near perfect? Because if I were baking these for myself, you better believe I’d add chocolate chips.
Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Preparation
In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for a few minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugars, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, beating until the mixture is well blended. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and oats, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary and mixing just until they are incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least an hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form the dough into golf ball-size balls and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle sea salt generously on top of each ball of dough, as you would sugar. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 15 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and beginning to turn golden, being careful not to overbake. (The cookies should have a tender interior.) Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields 18 cookies. (I made mine smaller and got about three dozen cookies.)
Recipe from The Washington Post.
Brown Sugar Brownies
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I wanted to bake, but when I went through my pantry, 
I realized I was completely out of granulated sugar (I know, for shame!). So, I searched online for an easy recipe using only brown sugar and since I was feeling lazy, I also wanted something that could be made in one bowl, and didn’t require scooping, frosting, or anything else that required much effort. (Maybe I should rename this blog baking for lazy people.)
And I found these. They are spectacularly easy, have a wonderful caramely flavor, and are nice and gooey. They most definitely did not disappoint. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 13″ x 9″ pan with no problem, and used chocolate chips instead of nuts. I think this may be one of my new favorite recipes.
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 x 9 x 1-3/4 inch pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. - Stir in the flour mixture and the nuts until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool slightly. While still warm, cut into bars with a sharp knife.
Recipe from All Recipes.
