The Cookie Jar....

As part of focusing on my husband during this "Husband Encouragement Challenge" I am doing with my sister, I thought I would share one thing we do around here to encourage Daddy! We keep cookies in our cookie jar! Charlie LOVES to have cookies around the house to snack on and take in his lunch and this way I do not have to spend extra money on processed junk food! We all win (well, except for my hips!) lol (I don't know why blogger is highlighting random words in my post; sorry about that!!)

Here's a couple of recipes & links to the cookies we baked today:


Oatmeal Coconut Walnut Cookies
(adapted from Tish Boyle's "The Good Cookie")
(makes 5 dozen cookies)

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
8 ounces (2 sticks/1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in oatmeal. Set aside dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.

On low speed, add flour-oatmeal mixture and mix until just blended. Add coconut and walnuts and mix until just combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto your prepared cookies sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten the mounds of dough slightly. Bake at 375F until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

and later this week we will make some M&M cookies to take to our homeschool group's "Back to School" party!! Can't wait!!

Hope you enjoy the recipes and maybe give this cookie jar thing a try for your family, if you don't already do this! Really, cookies have no more calories (actually less) than a lot of the prepackaged "snack" foods in the stores! (Especially if you sneak in a little whole wheat flour and the kids never know!!)

~Julie~