Lovin' From the Oven

Day 5: Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

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Day 5 of my 12 days of cookies: Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies. Pretty much, if you couldn’t make up your mind with what kind of cookie you should make, you end up with this. These cookies have a little bit of every classic cookie: oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate.
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I wouldn’t consider this an “oatmeal” cookie since there’s so little of it in the dough. Heck, you can’t even see it in these pictures! The strongest flavor here is the peanut butter. They don’t bake into perfectly shaped cookies, but I like how jagged they are. It shows that they’re truly homemade with love.

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I used mini M&M’s, but they’re getting harder and harder to find now and days. I used to be able to find bags of them at my local Target, but it seems as if they’ve gotten rid of their stash and no longer carry mini M&M’s. What a bummer! All of the other M&M flavors have replaced the minis. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that they’ll return to the shelves after the holidays.

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Recipe is slightly adapted from Delectably Mine.

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup mini M&M's

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.
  3. Gradually mix in the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined.
  4. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M's.
  5. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 until just browned.
https://lovintheoven.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal-mm-cookies/

Chewy Monster Granola Bars

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Folgers has created a program called The Best Part to help you with little pick me ups that’ll not only help you get through the day, but give you a boost of positiveness whenever you need it. In other words, it’s an online community that’s made for sharing your random acts of kindness or words of inspiration. I’ll start out with sharing a bit of my “best part.”

Let’s be real here. There are days at work where you want to pull your hair out, days where you’d rather be anywhere but here. All it takes is one person (or in this case, one kid!) to completely change your outlook and get you out of that negative mood.

At after school day camp the other day, I was walking the kids from their school to the center when one of the boys exclaimed, “We’re almost home!!” Confused, I corrected him, “You mean, we’re almost at day camp, right?” His response just about made me melt into a puddle.
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He looked up at me and said, “Oh yeah, but I love day camp here just as much as I love being home.”

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I realized that camp counselors affect kids a lot more than they realize. Sure, it may be work to some, but to the kids attending the camp, it’s almost as if you’re there for them. You’re there to give kids a place to go after school where they can learn, have fun, and be safe. You’re not there for yourself. A camp counselor should never go to work for themselves because there are so many little eyes on them at all times. Your mood and your behavior affect all of the kids around you, whether you realize it or not. They’ll pick up on your bad days in a second, and they’ll make a comment that can make you laugh just as fast.

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Here are just a few of my conversations with kids from work:

Kid: But why? You don’t work.
Me: What? I’m working right now! And I also work somewhere else.
Kid: Where?
Me: In the skies.
Kid: YOU WORK IN HEAVEN?! FOR GOD?!?

I walk up to two boys at work and catch the middle of their conversation..
Boy: If they mate, then…
Me: EXCUSE ME?! What are you two talking about?!
Both boys: POKEMON!

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Kid 1: If you tell me a really funny joke, you’ll be my first best friend.
Kid 2: I already told you a lot of funny jokes, I don’t want to tell you any more.
Me to kid 1: What?! You’ve never had a best friend?
Kid 1: I have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th best friend, but he’ll be my 1st best friend if he tells me.

Girl: I can’t wait til i’m 18! .. or 12.
Me: What? Why 18.. or 12?
Girl: Because that’s when I can get a dog!
Me: Why can’t you get a dog until you’re 18.. or 12?
Girl: Because that’s when my guinea pig will die. I think they live for like 8 years.

I curled my hair for the day when I usually wear it straight..
Girl: You look like a lion!!!

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Did any of those make you smile just a little bit? The innocence and honesty of kids are a constant reminder for me of the optimism that still exists in the world. It is so easy to keep a positive outlook around them for me because of their carefree and easygoing personalities.

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If I could read conversations like that every day, I would. In fact, I’m pretty sure I tell all my friends all the silly conversations with kids as it happens. Now, the only difference is that I can do it online in a community where others have the same kind of stories and photos to share. The Best Part is dedicated to making you smile every day. It’s a place where people can share their heart warming stories and spread happiness. We can all use a little happiness in our lives, right? There’s enough negativity in the news and online that The Best Part will be somewhere where you can escape from it all. Nothing bad, all good.

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To celebrate how gosh darn cute kids are and spread even more cheer, I’m making a dessert that screams elementary school: chewy monster granola bars. They’ve got peanut butter, chocolate, and oats. It doesn’t get more elementary than that. They’re the perfect sweet surprise to hide in their lunch boxes. The M&M’s peaking out will be sure to make them smile. Pass that smile forward!

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Chewy Monster Granola Bars

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup Rice Krispies
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup mini M&M candies
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper.
  2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. Press the mixture into the pan and bake for 18 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
https://lovintheoven.com/chewy-monster-granola-bars/

 

The Best Part is an online community that’s dedicated to brightening your day—every day. How? By spreading optimism, one share at a time. The Best Part posts inspirational stories, encouraging quotes, good news and other upbeat items on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—and encourages fans and followers to share that optimism with their friends. Because when optimism is shared, it grows, making an even more positive impact on our world. Check out what others are sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Puppy Chow Brownies

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I was just at Lake Tahoe this past weekend with my family and DB, and it’s crazy to think how much of a different lifestyle it is. I only live about three hours away from Tahoe, but the amount of snow they get is incredible.

I’ve lived in Southern California for 24 years of my life, so I have no idea what it means to wake up early to de-ice your windshield, shovel the driveway, or put on chains.

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The closest experience in SoCal that I ever got to snow was hail. Let me tell you, those things are definitely not the same. Instead of little snow flurries nestling upon your nose, you get mini cue balls aiming for your eyeballs and denting your cars.

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I used to think that I’d love to retire to Lake Tahoe when I’m older, but this past weekend made me change my mind. I’m terrified of driving on a road where one side says “Caution for falling rocks” and the other side says “Caution for 4000 feet cliff.” That’s pretty much the only way to get in and out of Tahoe, too.

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Not only that, but snow makes everything so dang dirty. Sure, it looks pretty when it’s freshly fallen, but after a couple of days with no snow, everything turns black and runny.

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Snow gets everywhere— your house, your car, your shoes. Once it melts, you’ve got water everywhere. It’s truly a pain to deal with.

All in all, I still love going to Tahoe for a week or two out of the year. Nothing beats the view, the people, and the experience. Just as long as I’m not stuck there, I’m a happy camper.

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The best part about snow is having lots of desserts to enjoy the serenity. These brownies would go great with a cup of hot cocoa, cause you know, you can never have enough chocolate.

I thought the cereal would get soggy from baking, but the puppy chow pretty much kept its consistency. The brownies have a nice fudgy texture and create a wonderful base for the puppy chow. Don’t skimp on the powdered sugar; it completes the look and the taste. These brownies are another winner in my book and I’ll be making them again throughout the year.

Recipe From Sugar Plum and makes about 16 brownies.

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Puppy Chow Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided use
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter + 2 tablespoons
  • 2 cups rice chex cereal
  • Confectioners' sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8x8 pan.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, completely melt the butter. Add in the sugar, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil.
  3. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Beat together eggs and chocolate-butter mixture for 8 minutes, or until well combined and doubled in volume.
  5. Turn the mixer speed to low and carefully mix in baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
  6. Add in flour and 1/2 cup chocolate chips until just combined. Evenly spread batter in pan.
  7. Using a butter knife, swirl 3 tablespoons peanut butter through batter. Bake 10 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, prepare the puppy chow: Melt together the remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat.
  9. Once that is completely melted and smooth, carefully fold in cereal until well coated.
  10. Place cereal on top of brownies. Lightly cover pan with foil.
  11. Put the pan back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until well risen and set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
https://lovintheoven.com/puppy-chow-brownies/

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