My kids are pretty awesome.
There. I said it.
I think I have two exceptionally terrific children who are involved in lots of things and excel at most of them.
Elizabeth is a writer, an artist, an archer, a videographer, an aspiring makeup guru. She works out – and she works out hard! She has a beautiful mane of thick, red hair that she is growing just so she can give most of it away. She is kind and tenderhearted. She is passionate and dedicated. She stands up for who and what she believes in – even if she’s the only one brave enough to do it. She is never afraid to walk away from a situation that she feels is not appropriate for her. She is curious and loves to challenge herself with new experiences. I’ll never forget when she asked Jesus into her heart in the second grade. She was nervous on the day she was baptized, so she wrote “Don’t be afraid!” on her hand as a reminder to herself.
See? Awesome!
Christopher is a gifted singer and performer. He’s a great actor and guitar player. He’s a hardworking athlete. I still can’t believe all that he chose to do this summer just so he would be ready for football season. At one time, he was a reporter for Scholastic – yes, that Scholastic – with an editor in New York who would call with assignments. His articles and stories were published in their online magazine and in other national publications. He worked this summer with our church’s student ministry to help at several organizations in town – and he loved it! He has, on numerous occasions, stood up for someone being bullied or picked on. His school recently had to be evacuated due to a bomb threat. A sweet little boy who is new to their school from Africa sought Christopher out , saying he felt that Christopher would keep him safe in a scary situation because Christopher has always treated him kindly at school.
Again. Awesome!
Christopher has wanted to join the speech team at his school, but in the past, he was told that he couldn’t because football practice would keep him from attending the after-school speech practices. This year, his teacher decided to make an exception and, for the first time in a decade, she is allowing a football player to join the speech team. Christopher is beyond excited. This weekend, there is an special all-day speech event and he asked if I could make cookies to send with him to the meeting. When I asked him what kind of cookies, he looked at me strangely and said, “Mine!” as if there is no other kind of cookie that I would ever consider making.
When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, Christopher and I made a lot of cookies together. It was a great way for us to spend quality time together. This recipe, which used to be referred to as “Christopher’s Cookies,” came about when he suggested that we blend his two favorites – oatmeal and chocolate chip. Amazing what you can come up with when you follow the whim of a three-year-old boy!
They really are yummy cookies. A little fluffy. A little chewy. Just enough salt to bring out the sweetness. We love them!
Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 º.
Use a mixer to cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until smooth, then beat in eggs one at a time and then mix in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the flour, a little at a time. Beat the flour into the creamed mixture until just blended. Pour in the quick oats, pecans, and chocolate chips. Mix in with mixer.
Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheets sprayed with baking spray. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Well Duh #1: You can totally omit the nuts. I did when I made them this time because I was sending them to school and you never know who’s allergic to nuts.
Well Duh #2: This recipe doubles well. In case you didn’t know, not every recipe can be doubled. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. This one does! And I totally doubled it so I could send a batch to Christopher’s meeting and keep a batch at home!
Well Duh #3: For the chewiest cookies, bake just until the edges are browned.
Well Duh #4: These make great “bread” for ice cream sandwiches! Just plop a scoop of your favorite ice cream between two cookies. Ah-mazing!
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