Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Nut Cookies

Again this is a recipe which was initially created by throwing things together from the pantry in order to satisfy my hardworking college roommates. With two studying to be nurses, one applying to med school, and two more looking, as I am, to enter the wonderfully crazy world that is journalism, there is much reception to delicious baked goods on our kitchen table- especially during midterms and finals. Well, last week I found myself in just one of those situations. Notebook open and highlighter in hand, I decided it was about time to preheat the oven and bring some happiness back into the house.

This cookie is fundamentally an oatmeal cookie, but adding the grated dark chocolate and chopped macadamia nuts kicked it up a few notches (which is hard for me to say as an avid oatmeal cookie lover). I have to be honest when I say that the six of us devoured these within a few hours of our study session. Enjoy!

1/4 lb (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 c granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla

3/4 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 1/2 c Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

8 oz. bar dark chocolate, frozen and grated in blender

1/2 c finely chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350° F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, and cinnamon; mix well. Add oats, grated chocolate, and nuts; mix until all ingredients are completely folded in. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute before removing to wire cooling rack. Let cool completely and enjoy! Us college girls sure did!

Makes about 2 dozen.

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

Here's a second Snickerdoodle recipe I have come across. I made these for my roommates while studying abroad in Athens, Greece and don't think they lasted past our first day of finals. I didn't have cream of tartar available in Greece so I used baking powder as a substitute for the combined baking soda and cream of tartar, which turned out great. If you would prefer to follow like this, use 4 t baking powder in place of the 2 t cream of tartar and 1 t baking soda.

With their chewy texture and sweet crunch of the outer coating of cinnamon and sugar, these cookies have become a fan-favorite, and the recipe being incredibly easy makes them even sweeter! Enjoy with a glass of milk or some peppermint tea.

1 c butter

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

3 t cinnamon

2 3/4 c flour

2 t cream of tartar

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

3 T sugar and 1 t cinnamon for coating

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix butter, 1 1/2 c sugar and eggs in large bowl. Combine flour, 3 t cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough and ungreased cookie sheet in fridge for at least 10 minutes. After chilling, scoop 1 inch balls of dough into cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat. Place on chilled cookie sheet. Bake around 10 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!