TWD-Rewind--Chunky Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (With Chocolate Covered Pretzel Balls)

SO sorry to Denise of Chez Us for not joining in on her pick this week for Dorie's Brioche Plum Tart.  I'll bet it's really good and can't wait to see all the creations out there in TWD Land.  Brioche is some tasty bread and someday I'll make this recipe.  I just wasn't able to spend the time on it this past week.  But to stick with things, I did whip up a quick past cookie (with my own little twist) that I missed before joining TWD.

What a great cookie.  Seriously, how can you go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate and some good wholesome oats?!  Well, I recently found some fun looking pretzels that I thought would be fun to add to a cookie.  They are pretzel balls.  Have you seen these?

That's cool, but I thought chocolate covered pretzel balls would be even better!

What'd I tell ya?  Better, huh.

Now we're talkin'.  I used 4 1/2 ounces of pretzel balls and 4 ounces of melted Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate. 

Voila!

These are good with that added crunch and saltiness from the pretzels.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (With Chocolate Covered Pretzel Balls), adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours, by Katrina

3 cups old-fashioned oats (I ground them up)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I omitted this)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I omitted this)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup chunky peanut butter (smooth is okay)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips (I used milk chocolate chips!!--peanut butter goes best with milk chocolate in my opinion)

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

4 1/2 ounces pretzel balls (you could also used broken up pretzels of any shape)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  (Do not do this until you've chilled the dough.)

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, (spices), and salt

In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.  Add both sugars and beat until well combined.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients mixing only until combined.  Stir in the chips and pretzels.   Chill the dough for 2 hours (or for up to 1 day).

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets.  Bake for 11-13 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then move to cooling racks with metal spatula to cool completely (or for as long as you can stand it). ;)

You know you want one.

Just look at that peanut buttery, oaty, chocolaty, pretzel-ly salty goodness! ;)

Now go look at all those Brioche Plum Tarts!  Link to TWD Land above and the recipe on Denise's blog.

Picture time---Pretty darn talented, eh!

Okay, he may have had a little help.  This is his "new thing", whenever I get the camera out and say, "Go stand by it so I can take your picture."

Now he just wants to have the camera and take pictures.  (He hasn't a clue what he's doing with my camera, but he sure thinks he does.   He can be a stubborn little bugger!  We never did get a good picture of him standing by this awesome Lego tower.