Peanut Chocolate Pretzel Oatmeal Cookies

I’m in Chicago. Sick. 🙁

I was at the clinic yesterday and thought I had a dry, scratchy throat. Dehydration? Maybe! Thirsty? Let’s hope!

No such luck. I drank the icy cold water to relieve that soreness, but it kept coming back with a vengeance. Mr. Prevention, bless his heart, drove the majority of the way and I snored along to the radio. When I woke up, we were just about 50 miles away.

We had turkey chili with my parents while I shared my offerings of this year’s Christmas cookies. I had a few, but honestly, I don’t know why. The looked good (obviously), but my appetite just wasn’t there.

Peanut Chocolate Pretzel Oatmeal Cookies (what a mouth-full — let’s call them “Everything Cookies”, shall we?) are not in my typical December line-up. They don’t really have any connection to holiday baking other than butter, sugar, and all things tempting and delicious.

Therefore, they are totally and completely appropriate to include in a holiday cookie assortment. Or for any reason, if we’re being honest.

As though anyone needed an excuse for more peanuts, chocolate, pretzel, or oatmeal in their life. I mean, I think these cookies were tailor-made for me. Oh, you too? Score.

These were as simple to make as your every-day chocolate chip cookie but are clearly scaled up a notch to include some other goodies. I did knock back the baking time a minute or two, just to be sure these were soft and chewy.

For those torn between sweet & salty, look no further — your cookie mate has arrived!

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Peanut Chocolate Pretzel Oatmeal Cookies from Food, Fitness, FreshAir

2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup thin salty pretzels, broken into tiny pieces
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts, halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and oats.

In another large bowl, beat butter and sugars together. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until thoroughly combined.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks and peanuts.

Spray cooking sheet. Place 1-inch dough balls, slightly flattened, on baking sheet. Sprinkle pretzel pieces on top of each cookie, slightly pressing the pretzels into the dough. Bake 11-12 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Yield: 5 dozen cookies.

Nutrition Information (per cookie): 103 calories; 5.2 g. fat; 7 mg. cholesterol; 56 mg. sodium; 13.6 g. carbohydrate; 1.08 g. fiber; 1.1 g. protein

Result: Sweet and salty! These were simple to make and included a bunch of goodies that are sure to please just about any crowd. You can certainly add or subtract ingredients to your liking, too! Another variety of nut or using white chocolate chips or even dried cranberries are a few ideas that come to mind…enjoy!

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And don’t fret, 5 dozen cookies is sure to bring joy to many (assuming you’re a good sharer)! And hey, there’s some nutritional value here – whole wheat (pastry) flour, peanuts, and oats. Glass half-full, folks…glass half-full. Enjoy it while it lasts…the plentiful amounts of veggies are quickly approaching!

Lots of love,