November 29, 2017

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies


I might not make time to blog anymore but I find myself in the kitchen more than ever, with four growing children and a hungry husband. This year we moved to a new home a few minutes down the road. We're closer to family, closer to work, and have a beautiful new kitchen. There's a big bar for the kids to sit and eat at (this alone has simplified my life). I have lovely solid surface counter tops that make rolling out pie crust an absolute joy. We also have a little more counter space to spread cookie sheets out on. My oldest daughter is eight now and has become my perfect sous-chef, stirring, spreading, and chopping along the way. It's wonderful to share the kitchen with someone eager to help. I remember that feeling of excitement as I learned to create something delicious and try hard to encourage her. Lately we've watched the Great British Bake Off together in the afternoons then we head into the kitchen to make a treat or work on dinner together, often incorporating their "theme" into our projects.

Cookies are a perennial favorite around here and this new recipe is moving straight into my cookbook of tried and true recipes. I've never been much of an oatmeal cookie fan- truthfully, I've only learned to appreciate oatmeal at all as an adult and very recently. But these cookies came highly recommended from a trusted source and had the words "salted caramel" leading the title. So I shrugged my shoulders and said as Ina does, "How bad can that be?" In shocking news, butter, sugar, and caramel are absolutely delicious. The edges are a little crisp, the center soft and chewy, and the unexpected burst of caramel and salt make for a perfect cookie.

I've made this recipe a couple of times now and expect it to stay on permanent rotation. Thank you to Kelly Gordon from my favorite podcast Sorta Awesome for the great recommendation. 2017 has also been the year of podcasts for me. I started listening a couple years ago but this year we prepped our old house to sell and moved into our new home- which meant a ton of time to listen as I packed, painted, unpacked, and reorganized our lives. Podcasts have brought me laughter, learning, and even a little companionship as I plow through another sink full of dishes or load of laundry. Are you a podcast fan? I'd love to hear what you're listening to!

I know my phone camera shot isn't up to 2017 food blogger standards, but this little corner of the internet is also my personal resource for saving and accessing my recipes. I also thought this delicious recipe needed to be shared asap with all the impending holiday baking and didn't want to hold out while I made another batch and took another photo. I hope you'll give it a try.

Caramel chips are available at my local grocery stores near the chocolate chips (usually on the bottom shelf). These tiny balls of caramel can be subbed into any cookie recipe just like chocolate chips. I've started to keep several bags in my pantry because they really up the ante with your basic cookie recipe. Try them in your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe next time. You can buy them on Amazon as well.

I'm not around here too often anymore but can find me on Instagram. I'd love to see you there!

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from LoveWellBlog.com

Note: It's absolutely necessary to line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Wait to make these if you don't have those on hand.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 packaged (11 ounces) Kraft caramel bits

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together butter and sugar in mixer until light and fluffy.

Mix in vanilla, then eggs.

Gently mix in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, soda, oats) until just barely incorporated. Stir in caramel bits. (Optional- 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in addition is delicious as well!)

Scoop onto parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet and bake about 8-10 minutes, until they barely start to brown on the edges. They should look a little bit under done when you remove them from the oven. Sprinkle a tiny bit of kosher or sea salt on top of each cookie and enjoy.

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