Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and a Rollercoaster Weekend

So I have done some baking lately but haven't had any chance to post anything.   I haven't really been near my computer since Wednesday night.   It has actually been several days of a few highs and a very low low.

My weekend practically started on Thursday,  I had to work from home to go to two doctors appointments.  One was my monthly check up with my midwife.   She went through my test results, standard check up and check the heartbeat.   Everything is A.O.K.  My second appointment was Ultrasound number 2.  This is where they take pictures of everything and check out every inch of the baby.   This also happened to be the ultrasound where baby can reveal it self.   I am a planner so there is no way I could wait until November to find out what this little bun is going to be.   The ultrasound tech was also nice enough to tell us no problem.  So baby is a.... oops sorry you will have to wait for my reveal dessert post.    

This started of the weekend great,  we got the news and we were heading up to the cottage Thursday night for a few days.  Spent three days up there enjoying the beautiful weather and got in some serious relaxation.   We came home Sunday night and cuddled up to a movie.   Monday we met our good friends for lunch to give them a reveal dessert as well.   Lunch was nice but this is when the side track started.  

When I was in my early twenties I bought myself a bulldog puppy - Bosco. (Who would be called by many names in his lifetime)  Let me just say they are by far the cutest puppies ever.  At this time I lived with my Dad and my sister.   Over the years though as I got together with my now hubby and moved in with him I couldn't take the dog with me so he stayed at my Dad's house. My sister took over the mommy reigns and took care of him for me for the last 5 years. Although I did make sure to visit quite often. I got a message from my sister Monday afternoon she was taking the dog to the vet as he was not his usually self and something seemed wrong. So for about two hours I was back and forth with her over the phone getting updates on what was going on. In the late afternoon I sadly got the call from her I needed to come say my goodbyes, we had to put him down because of cancer. Way too unexpected. The rest of the night is a complete blur. I just remember my husband dragging me out on a walk to get my mind off of it and going to bed with some heavy eyes and a headache. He wasn't well trained but he was perfect. Losing a pet is like losing a member of your family. It's never an easy thing so please give your pets a big hug for me.

Quite the roller coaster weekend in deed.  Work happened to be crazy busy this week so I did get a lot of distraction.    A week since I baked these cookies here is finally the post.

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

(Adapted from Scientifically Sweet)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup gluten free flour mix
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup xylitol or granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup Reese's pieces.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl. 

2) In a large bowl or mixer bowl, beat together butter, sugar and xylitol until well combined.  Beat in peanut butter until just combined.  

3) Add in egg and vanilla and beat together. 

4) Add in oats, mix together and let sit to allow oats to slightly hydrate.

5) Add flour and mix together until almost incorporated.

6) Add Reese's pieces until just combined

7) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. 

8) Preheat oven to 350F.  Cover baking sheet with silpat or parchment. Using a small to medium scoop place rounds on baking sheets and flatten slightly.   These cookies don't spread too much.  Bake for 10 -12 minutes.   Let cookies cool on rack a minute or two.     Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

Okay,  so when I went to write up this recipe I realized I did it wrong but these cookies still turned out really good.   I would have preferred a bit crispier as these did remain quite soft, they might have been crispier if I followed the recipe properly. It is hard to go wrong with the chocolate peanut butter combination.  

MEG's RATING: D-EEEE-LICIOUS