Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Giant. 

Soft. 

Cinnamon Chips.

  Raisins.

Oatmeal.

 What's not to love?

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips-I found mine at Albertsons

3/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.

BAR VARIATION: Spread batter into lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. About 3 dozen bars.

The Quest For a Cereal Bar

Right now, one of the most highly prized snacks in our house is the Kashi TLC Cereal Bar. My boys would eat them all day, every day, if I let them! As much as that would not suffice nutritionally, it would also not work financially. Being that those sweet little treats run anywhere between $3-$4.50 a box, it works out to be about $.50-$.75 a bar! That habit can get expensive quick! So I did what any mom with internet access would do. I Googled it. And so began my quest for a cereal bar recipe.

While these bars are not anywhere CLOSE to the beloved cereal bar, they really were good! They sort of boasted a little bit of shortbread, which paired deliciously with the preserves! So while I was a little bummed that they seemed to lead me astray, I guess you gotta start somewhere...and there's not a one left!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter {softened}
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1 teaspoon almond extract
16oz. preserves of choice

DIRECTIONS:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Add almond extract. Press 3/4 of crumb mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread with preserves. (*Use Strawberry, raspberry, peach or other favorite). Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350* for 20-25 min. Cool and cut into bars.

THE Gold Bar-Updated!

I have been absolutely dumbfounded over the amount of traffic and comments that the APS Gold Bar has brought through Chow City! More than five completely random people have left comments saying something along the lines of, "You don't know how long I searched for this" or "No one but APS kids understand!" Isn't that hilarious?! What a strange bond to have with complete strangers! An undying love and total allegiance for an elementary school treat! Anyway, one of those Gold Bar hounds left the following recipe in comments and being a fellow guru, I had to try it.

Let this be the evidence of how good they were...there are NO PICTURES of them because we ate them that fast. They were amazing! So if you want a blast from the elementary/middle/high school past, make these! And as for the blogger who left this recipe-THANK YOU-from the bottom of my primary education heart!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups crunchy peanut butter

2 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 tablespoons melted margarine or butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (melted)

DIRECTIONS:

Method: Mix peanut butter, Rice Krispies, powdered sugar, melted margarine, and light corn syrup until well blended. Press mixture evenly into a 9-by-13-inch pan that has been lined with plastic wrap over light oil. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Spread evenly over Rice Krispie mixture; chill until set but not hard (chocolate will begin to lose its shiny appearance). Cut into pieces of desired size. Return to refrigerator until chocolate has hardened completely. Remove from pan and store in tightly covered container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Resurrection Cookies

My cousin recently sent me the recipe for these cookies and I was immediately inspired to make them this year with my boys! Although the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross extends exponentially beyond just baking these simple cookies, it still is a practical way to help teach our children about the Truth and focus behind Easter Sunday, Christ's death and resurrection! And while we understand that it is only God who can call us to His saving grace, we also know that he uses means. In the words of Noel Piper in her book, Treasuring God In Our Traditions, "He uses God-centered traditions and Bible-saturated family patterns and grace-laden heirlooms. Only God can give our children a taste for the sweetness of God. Only God can awaken them to his worth. But year in and year out there are traditions that show them: God is our Treasure. "

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Ziploc bag
Wooden spoon
Tape
Bible

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don't wait until you're half done). Place pecans in ziploc bag and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. of vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John: 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us and He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven. Close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

Pray together as a family thanking God for the perfect Lamb

Carrot Apple Sauce

This recipe is exactly what it sounds like, carrots blended into applesauce! My boys love it too! Tricky mommy!

INGREDIENTS:
Large handful of raw baby carrots (or regular-just peel and cut to fit in food processor)
1-2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
Cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Puree raw carrots in food processor taking care to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 1 cup applesauce and mix. Taste and add additional applesauce if desired! Serve with cinnamon.

Note: I like to make double or triple the recipe and just keep it in the refrigerator. It's a quick and easy way to add a vegetable to any meal and it keeps forever!