Me (laughing slightly): "Yeah, well, they're called monster cookies, Mom."
Being in college makes it hard to get your friends birthday presents. For my best friend, I decided to make her cookies this weekend and freeze them until I mail them to her. (What I think is really going to happen is my mom is going to give them to her parents to take down to her this weekend but! Anyway.)
She likes cookies. A lot. She likes peanut butter. I saw this recipe on http://www.browneyedbaker.com/ and thought I would try it out. I, of course, changed the original recipe a bit due to some lack of ingredients (and patience). My cookies were big, round, chewy and pretty delicious. Once again, Steven and mom were the guinea pigs and they seemed to enjoy them. Here it goes!
Monster Cookies
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick melted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups oats
1 cup M&M's (roughly two of those bags you pick up while waiting to check out at the grocery store. You know... the one you always buy and eat in the car on the way home)
1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking sheets. Mix together eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, salt and baking soda. Stir in peanut butter and eggs (I could NOT get the butter to mix in at first, but just keep going and fold it into the gooey egg/sugar mixture. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl). Stir in flour and oats. Add M&M's, Reese's Pieces, chocolate chips, or any other candy you just want to throw in. Let the dough rest for thirty minutes.
2. Using a large ice cream scoop (that's what I used, at least) drop large globs of cookie dough onto baking sheets. They are supposed to be BIG. Hence the name, Monster Cookies. Flatten them a little with a spoon or spatula or your fingers... whatever is around, really. Bake for about 10 minutes. Mine had to bake a little longer thanks to the weird positioning of the oven racks. Let cool 3 minutes before transfering to racks to cool.
3. I put mine in the freezer. We'll see what my best friend says about them...
PS - Always put a little heart into your baking. What's the point of making things for other people if you don't do it with love?
One of my best friends bought me these measuring cups for my many baking adventures. It was the perfect birthday present. (She got these at Urban Outfitters.)