Best Ever Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Coconut

My favorite cookies in the world are the Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies from Paradise Bakery.... They are so amazing!!! I tried out this recipe and think they could easily rival Paradise. If you have had the one's from Paradise, you know that is a BOLD statement. But I am the toughest critic when it comes to my baking, and I think they are pretty close. So, try them, they are super easy, and let me know what you think...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Coconut:

1 1/4 c. oatmeal

1 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. flaked coconut

1 c. choc. chips (I use milk choc. chips)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, then add oil, egg and vanilla.

Mix thoroughly and add in chocolate chips.

Drop with cookie scooper onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 for 12 minutes. ENJOY!!!!

What? They're Whole Wheat?

So I have the day off work, and I really wanted to bake something new to put on the blog. (and to eat...of course!!!) Justin said I should try to make something "healthy". So I decided to make whole wheat cookies. In reality, they aren't really "healthy", but they are better for you than white flour cookies, they also have oatmeal and eggs.... so they are a GREAT balanced breakfast food. :) Okay, fine, I tried! Anyway, they are really yummy, and I really don't think people would be able to tell they are whole wheat, unless you told them. So try them and let me know what you think! :) Mine came out perfect and chewy with a slight crunch on the outside. Yum!

They say this recipe is similar to the Great Harvest Bread company cookies, which are one of my fav! I added vanilla to the recipe, I can't make chocolate chip cookies without it! I also accidentally forgot salt, but thankfully we didn't miss it! :)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups rolled oats

2 eggs

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 package milk chocolate chips (I love the ghiradelli ones!)

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat together brown sugar and butter until well combined. Add oats, eggs, molasses, vanilla and milk; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture; mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop dough and drop about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 13 minutes, until just starting to brown around the outside. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove and cool on racks. Enjoy! :)

Chewy granola bars!

I was watching Martha Stewart yesterday and she had this lady on that made granola bars. I love granola bars, and have always wanted to make them, but haven't had the courage to. But they made it look so easy, like every TV show does! So, I decided to attempt them.... and good thing I did, because they are so much better than the ones in the grocery store, and they WERE so EASY! And QUICK!

Chewy Granola Bars:

1-3/4 c. oatmeal

1-1/4 c. Rice Cereal (Rice Krispies)

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (or dried fruit, nuts, etc*)

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. honey

In large bowl, mix cereal and oatmeal, set aside.

In saucepan on medium-high heat, stir together honey, vegetable oil, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and then cook an additional minute. It should become very bubbly, almost foamy looking.

Pour sauce over the oatmeal mixture and stir until all cereal is coated. Pour into greased 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the mixture to form in pan, but do not flatten entirely. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or desired topping, then create a flat even surface. Cool to room temperature and cut into bars. Yum! :)

*I think it would be good with craisins and white chocolate chips.

Or, here are some other ideas:

Mini M&M's

Peanut butter chips

Almonds

Raisins (ewww)

Dried apples, apricots, or mangoes

I am on a mission!

I'm on a mission to be good at blogging and photographing my food. We have a really good camera (Nikon D80), so I have the capability to take some really cool shots of my food. However, this camera is pretty high-tech(to me), and you have to use crazy settings to make pictures look good, so it takes practice! I took like 100 pictures while I was baking these Chocolate Chip cookies, and think I came out with a pretty good one. I also took pics of my new adorable cake stand that has red ribbon with white polka dots! So cute!

Anyway, on to the SWEETS....These chocolate chip cookies turn out AMAZING every time, and I don't know if I will ever use another recipe! I would keep this recipe to myself, but the secret is too amazing not to share! Anyway, here they are:

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

1 c. unsalted butter (softened...but not melted)

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

*Milk Chocolate Chips

Hand mix the butter and both sugars until incorporated (I use a wooden spoon). Add vanilla and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to mix. Mix thoroughly and add a whole package of milk chocolate chips. (I think the Ghirardelli ones are the best, Guittard are good too) Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until barely brown.

*You can use whatever chips you want. Milk chocolate chips are my favorite! This time I used half milk chocolate and half Reese's Peanut butter chips. They are so yummy! Enjoy!