Oatmeal...in Cookie form

So those cookies I mentioned making for Jeffrey and his friend last Friday...oh yeah those ones, mmmm mmmm they are sooo good!

They possibly could have been better had I not completely torched the white chocolate I was intending to drizzle all prettily over their golden tops, but even without chocolate, they were scrumptious. And maybe even healthy...I mean, they had oatmeal in them, and no chocolate, and coconut (which counts as a fruit in this instance).

Make these, you'll love them. They stay chewy and soft for about 4 days, which means I packed them into our lunches till they were gone gone gone.

Toasted Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

1 C butter, softened
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 C toasted coconut flakes
optional: 1/2 C white chocolate chips, either for mixing in or for drizzling

Method:

Toast the coconut flakes. Spread the flakes out into a thin layer on a baking sheet, and broil them with the oven rack in the middle of the oven until golden (3-5 min, depending). Be very careful not to burn them! Allow to cool before putting them in the cookie batter.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the two extracts. Beat well. Fold in the oats and cooled coconut flakes and white chocolate chips, if using. Roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and bake for 7-8 minutes.

Then....eat 'em all up!

Here's one of my little secrets: since it's just me and Jefferson around here, I bake up anywhere from 6-8 cookies. Then with the rest of the dough, I roll little cookie balls and wrap them up tightly in plastic wrap.

Then I put them into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. They never really make it past two months, but I think you could probably keep them in there a maximum of three months.

When we two get a hankerin' for some treats, I heat up the oven to 350 degrees F, pull out the cookies, place them on the tray and bake them from frozen. Sometimes they need a bit longer in the oven, around 10 minutes or so.

This way we have freshly baked cookies at our fingertips....anytime we want them.

This little trick is also great for quick desserts when you're in a pinch, like unexpected (but welcome!) visitors drop by or when you feel like doing something nice (and easy!) for someone.