Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have more summer fruit desserts to share with you soon, but let me start with a dessert that has been sitting unposted for too long, and for no good reason.

These are Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - yep, all that in one cookie. Sometimes I feel that since I don't like nuts, my cookies are all boring - but these were definitely far from boring, with an interesting texture and flavor.
I would say that the peanut butter flavor wasn't huge, and I think maybe 1 cup of PB is a little low to make these real peanut butter cookies. I could see myself upping that a little in the future and cutting back on the butter a little. I'll let you know if I experiment. The recipe makes a lot, so I halved it, but it's really pretty simple so if you have all the ingredients out, you could make the whole batch and freeze half - these will freeze very well.

Tip of the Day: Any recipe calling for chocolate chips can also substitute chopped chocolate - use a chef's knife to slice pieces of chocolate off a larger bar and chop them until the desired size.

Recipe: (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Makes about 60 cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs, one at a time until well mixed. Beat in vanilla.
Stir in the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls on to parchment-paper lined sheets.
Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.