oatmeal cookies

Brown Butter Butterscotch Oatmeal Coconut Bars

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

You guys. I just discovered brown butter. I don’t know HOW it took me so long to try it out – but my life is changed. I will never bake again without browning my butter!

Okay so that’s false – but in all seriousness, browning the butter for at least this recipe was amazing. It smelled SO good and I think made these bars so much better than they could have been. You MUST try it – I promise, if you get a good browned butter, you won’t be sorry.

Anyway, I had a hankering for baking with butterscotch and while I love these butterscotch oatmeal cookies, I was seeking something somewhat different. After reviewing a few recipes (and my pantry), I came up with these. They’re chewy, really sweet (warning- not for the non-sweet tooth!), and I think they’re delicious. Be careful – they’re also addicting!

brown butter butterscotch oatmeal coconut bars-icrashedtheweb

Brown Butter Butterscotch Oatmeal Coconut Bars

(adapted from Cook’s Country … because I don’t have cable and am addicted to this show)

Here’s what you need:

For the bars:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups oatmeal (I used 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup old fashioned – the texture is more chewy with the quick oats and more fibrous / gritty / textured with the old fashioned so i like to mix)
  • 1/2 sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cup butterscotch chips divided in half
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • 1 cup packed  brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 TBS vanilla extract

Butterscotch drizzle:

  •  1/4 cup butterscotch chips
  • 2 tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by spraying with a nonstick cooking spray or butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine  flour, oats, coconut, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Brown your butter! In a small pan at medium heat, melt the butter. Let the butter continue to cook until a rich golden brown color. Stir continuously so as not to burn the butter – burned butter does not equal brown butter! Feel free to use this site as a guide as well for additional direction on how to perfectly brown your butter.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the hot brown butter with half of the 1 1/2 cup chips (3/4 cup). Mix together until melted and smooth. Add in the brown sugar, egg and vanilla.
  5. Slowly add in flour/oat/coconut mixture, just until incorporated.
  6. Add in other half of chips (3/4) and combine. (Note: I like to add in about 1/2 chips and sprinkle rest on top of batter when in pan)
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread so it is even. Bake about 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. When the bars are almost done, make the butterscotch drizzle: Mix 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, brown sugar and water and melt in a saucepan over medium, stirring so not to burn. Alternatively, you could make in the microwave – again, just be careful to not burn it!
  9. Drizzle over the warm bars. Let the bars cool completely before removing them – this will be tough, but it’s so worth it! Enjoy – share some with your coworkers or family 🙂

brown butter butterscotch oatmeal coconut bars-icrashedtheweb

 

 

Oatmeal Heath Bar Cookies

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I think Heath Bar should also be called the Forgotten Candy. I LOVE love LOVE Heath Bar. It’s one of my favorite candies. Growing up, Heath Bar Crunch Ben & Jerrys was my favorite ice cream and was almost always in my family’s freezer (yes, I know I’m lucky). But it’s also a candy I forget about when I think of candy. If I’m craving something sweet and want to buy candy, too often I’ll choose something like a peanut butter cup, peanut M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces – and leave Heath Bar forgotten. So, this is an ode to my favorite, forgotten candy bar- Oatmeal Heath Bar Cookies. These are based one of my favorite recipes – Special K cookies – but have a few different ingredients.

Oatmeal Heath Bar toffee Cookies - i crashed the web

Oatmeal Heath Bar Cookies

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1 c granulated sugar
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla extract
  • 2 c all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 c. uncooked old fashioned oats
  • 2 c Special K cereal
  • 1 c. Heath Bar, chopped into pieces (OR buy a bag of Heath Bar that’s pre-diced/crumbled and ready for baking)
  • 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

  1. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix Special K, oats, Heath Bar and chocolate chips. Set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg is added.
  5. Stir in flour mixture slowly, mixing well.
  6. Stir in oat mixture and mix with wooden spoon until well blended.
  7. Make tablespoon sized scoops on greased baking sheets.
  8. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Got a chocolate lover in your life? These aren’t THAT chocolatey so you may want to add more chips. OR chop up a HERSHEY’S bar and add to batter as well! That’s what  did for the one in the pic above.

Oatmeal Heath Bar Cookies omg - i crashed the web

 

 

Triple Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I think I have a pumpkin problem. From baking biscotti, to scones, to cookies, to granola – to just mixing it in plain yogurt and eating it with the pumpkin granola – I’m all over pumpkin this fall. But, the first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem. And with that, here is my last pumpkin recipe for this season. And don’t worry, it’s a good one – similar to the last pumpkin cookies I made but with some oatmeal and white chips for added texture.

pumpkin triple chip oatmeal cookies - i crashed the web

Triple Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup total three different types of chocolate chips – I actually broke this up into 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chocolate chunks and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips – next time I’ll likely try some mini m&ms or even Candy Corn M&Ms!

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt and oats – in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars. Mix well. Add in egg and mix thoroughly.
  4. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin puree with molasses and vanilla. Mix well until completely combined. Once the mixture is a uniform, dark brown color, add to wet ingredients in stand mixture. Note: Don’t want to dirty another bowl? You likely could add all these ingredients to the stand mixer one at a time, but I found it easier to have the molasses  and pumpkin mixed together first to ensure they get are thoroughly combined.
  5. Add in dry ingredients with a spatula and mix well, by hand. You may need to stir for 2-4 minutes before mixture is completely combined. Then, add in your your chocolate chips / chunks.
  6. Dough will be sticky! Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet topped with parchment paper.
  7. Cook for 12-14 minutes or until they start to brown.

Enjoy!

pumpkin triple chip oatmeal cookies - icrashedtheweb

Monster Cookies for Blue & Green Day

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

April is Donate Life Month and this Friday is Donate Life’s National Blue and Green Day. It’s a day for people to wear blue and green, to show their support and raise awareness for organ, eye and tissue donation. Not only will I be wearing blue and green, but I also decided to bake some blue and green cookies in honor of the day (and maybe bribe/thank some coworkers who show their support).

I had quite a few blue and green themed-recipes in mind – mostly more cookie balls/truffles (I even have green candy shell that I wanted to use) but B kindly suggested that I make “real cookies.” SO, I pulled out this recipe for monster cookies that I had saved a while ago, added blue and green M&Ms and Blue and Green Day Monster Cookies were born! This recipe could easily be modified to show support for your favorite cause, or sports team – just swap out the M&M colors!M&M Butterfinger Monster cookies

Monster Cookies

Here’s what you need:

  • 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 3/4  cup unpacked brown sugar
  • 3/4  cup peanut butter  (I used smooth JIF)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup oats (the kind I used said “Old Fashioned” – not “quick”)
  • 1 cup M&Ms (I used only blue and green ones)
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped Butterfingers

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars.
  4. Beat in the peanut butter, vanilla, and egg until smooth. Add in flour mixture and stir until just combined.
  5. Mix in the oats, chips, M&Ms and Butterfingers evenly distributed.
  6. Drop rounded spoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. I spray mine down with Pam first.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes in the 350-degree oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
  8. Enjoy! 
M&M Butterfinger Monster cookies for donate Life Blue and Green Day

Here’s what it all looks like mixed up. Yum!

M&M Butterfinger Monster cookies for donate Life Blue and Green Day

Drop your batter by rounded spoonfuls on a pre-greased cookie sheet

M&M Butterfinger Monster cookies for donate Life Blue and Green Day

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Donate Life Ohio is one of my clients. I was not asked to make blue and green cookies or blog about Blue and Green day. Still, donation is an issue that is important to me and I’m happy to use my blog to remind people the importance of registering as a donor. Currently, nearly 120,000 men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants in the United States. To register as a donor, visit http://donatelife.net/register-now/, or in Ohio click here. 

A holiday baking favorite – Oatmeal Scotchies!

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

It’s December 4! Do you know what that means? Not only is it exactly THREE WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS (can you tell I’m excited?) … but it’s also National Cookie Day!

That’s right, National Cookie Day. Who makes up these bizarre holidays? Who knows. Do I care? Not if it means I can celebrate with baking and eating cookies!

In honor of the holiday, I’m sharing with you a recipe that we make every year at Christmas – Oatmeal Scotchies (or Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies).

butterscotch oatmeal cookies

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Here’s what you need:

  • 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (as usual, I used 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats , uncooked
  • 1-3/4 cups (one traditional 11 oz. pkg.) Butterscotch Chips

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat  your oven to 370 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. I used Pam.
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
  3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  4. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt — slowly stir into the creamed mixture. Beat until well blended.
  5. Fold in oats and butterscotch chips and mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto your cooking sheets.
  6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. If you prefer your cookies chewy, cook around 8. For crunchier cookies you may need 10-11 minutes.
  7. Cool on wire racks.

butterscotch oatmeal cookies cooling off

Enjoy! For some extra deliciousness, add a few chocolate chips to the batter when you have a little left and share those with your chocolate lover friends.