A friend of mine down here gave me her recipe for some excellent Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I've been obsessed with them ever since. You see, I can sorta think of these as "good-for-you" cookies because they are chock full of oats, so we're talkin' some serious fiber! I like making the cookies because I figure if Avery is going to eat sweets 'n stuff, at least these are homemade (i.e. not packed wtih preservatives) - you know, kinda Good Junk! ;)

So, I've been sticking to the standard recipe, but today thought I'd jazz it up a bit. You know the saying - cooking's an art, baking's a science, so I guess I was "livin' on the edge" - ha!

Half the batch I made especially for my kiddo and her playdate amigos - with m&m-esque chips...

The other half got the "adult treatment" with Craisins and White Chocolate chips...

Yeah, you're seeing that price tag on the chips correctly - that's the sort of mark-up we have to pay for American grocery products, bought at the Embassy commissary. When you're desperate, you pay - to a degree...you should've seen what they wanted for semi-sweet chips!

I'm not a big fan of white chocolate, but thought it might be an interesting change. Truth be told, I wish I'd stuck to regular chips, but hey - this gives me a good excuse for a cookie give-away!
Hmmm....can you tell which side of the plate will get devoured first?

I know someone who's happy to oblige!

Anyway...it's a chip-adaptable recipe you might enjoy:

Hershey's Oatmeal (Chip) Cookies
*makes about 4 dozen*
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I sub about 1/4 cup wheat flour, and it works)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1 3/4 cup Chocolate (or other) chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in oats and chips, mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. Remove to wire rack and cool completely. (Um...be sure to eat a couple while still gooey-warm!)

Let me know if you make any yummy chip-combo discoveries - Enjoy!