Spicy Oatmeal Cookies

Lately I've been on an oatmeal kick... Maybe it's seeing all the frigid weather in other parts of the country that makes me want to curl up under a blanket and eat warm comforting food.  Maybe because it's still January and the whole eat healthy theme is still in effect.  Either way, here's a deliciously spicy cookie that even the Handsome Mexican helped eat (and he's not a big cookie eater)!

Spicy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, melted or really soft
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups flour

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

2 cups chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening

 

Gather up your ingredients.  Add the oatmeal to a blender and pulse for a minute until the oats are broken up.  You don't want a powder but you do want them processed a bit.  Melt your butter if it isn't already really soft (you could plan ahead and leave your butter on the counter for 30 min or so before making the cookies...but who thinks ahead?!).

 

 

Since I make my own brown sugar, I added the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp of molasses and mixed.  Instant and easy brown sugar!  Go ahead and add your white sugar and butter and mix.

 

 

Once the butter and sugars are mixed, add the eggs, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix well until everything is combined.

 

 

Add the oats and flour and mix until combined. 

 

 

You can either spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet and bake, or if you prefer a slightly crunchier cookie, like I do, you can flatten the cookie dough.  Bake for 14-16 minutes at 350F or until the edges turn slightly brown.  Let the cookies cool while you make the chocolate dip.

 

 

You can use a microwave to melt your chocolate and shortening, or if doing it on the stove, get two pans that fit inside each other (sorry, I didn't picture this...if you need to see it you can check out these Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls...I show how to melt chocolate there).  Add water to the larger pot and get it boiling.  Add the chocolate chips and shortening to your smaller pot.  Stir the chocolate until melted.  Once the chocolate is melted, dip 1/2 the cookie into the chocolate and then set on waxed paper or the cookie sheet to harden (you can also put them into the refrigerator to speed up the process).

 

 

There you go!  How nice do these look?  And the chocolate is the perfect accompaniment to the spicy oatmeal!  Enjoy!

 

 

Happily Homemade

Sandra