I don’t realize how rare I interact with kids until an occasion came up for Aunt Candy to spoil them. For the under-10 set, what do they like? What can they eat? What do they play with? I’m totally clueless. My hunch tells me that the boys have more toys than I can possibly imagine and probably more savvy with tablets and smartphones that I am. What do I do? Sugar and spice and everything nice! They’re not just for girls, you know.
Last year’s M&M cookies were a hit with the boys but I wasn’t entirely happy with how they turned out. The cookies came out too flat. The boys loved them because the flatter shape meant palm-size monsters. But I think cookies ought to have some heft. Oh yes, these Reese’s Pieces Oatmeal Cookie were just right. Aunt Candy and the boys approved!
Aside from the pleasing colour scheme, there was another compelling reason to use Reese’s Pieces. Chocolate and peanut butter people! So much more interesting than just chocolate and a crowd pleaser to grown ups too. In addition to the colourful candies, I folded in chopped peanuts and dark chocolate chips into the cookie dough to reinforce the flavour combination.
The oatmeal cookie dough may look ordinary but it is not. It is taken from my favourite Cook’s Country oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe using oat flour, rolled oats, and melted milk chocolate. This recipe is on regular rotation in my kitchen because the cookies come out perfectly every time. The addition of milk chocolate in the dough itself is key to why this cookie tastes so yummy.
A trick that I learned from last year’s attempt is that you want the show off the candies. Instead of folding all the candy pieces into the cookie dough, I reserved half to stud the scooped dough. About five pieces per dough ball is about right. Once the cookies bake and spread, you get treats attractively dotted with orange, yellow, and brown.
The boys love the cookies as much as I do and look forward to my visit because I bring them treats. Mission accomplished! In case you’re wondering, those toys in the background belong in my home. Unlike the cookies, I do not share my toys.
