Me vs. Ten Older Women

I've never considered myself a very good baker. I've pretty much always dabbled in cooking, and even took a culinary arts class in high school, but baking was never my strong point. But, as the saying goes, some things just come with age I guess. Not that I'm like... old, or anything. And I have a lot of love and respect for my elders, but in all fairness... I totally destroyed my Mom and her friends and family at their cookie exchange this past weekend. I know, I know. Not the typical thing a 24 year-old male would want to advertise or brag about. And it's not really bragging... I mean, the voting on best cookie was a democratic process, and between the 12 middle-aged women I was up against, and myself, I won. Fair and square. Though, your still probably thinking "what a bastard," allow me to defend my character further by saying that I only went to be with my Mom and family (the past month of straight studying and work left me with homesickness like you wouldn't believe). Anyway, the REAL point of this blog, is to share the recipe for my winning (in a completely friendly competition) cookie recipe.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, mix white sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, then stir into egg and sugar mixture. Mix in oats. Mix in chocolate chips, combining well. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

4. Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

* For a little bit of a twist, try replacing the white sugar with maple syrup and adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour (until consistency is right).

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!