Oatmeal Trail Mix Scotchies

OK. I can't think of a catchy name for these cookies. I was originally going to make the oatmeal scotchies that you find on the package of butterscotch morsels. Then I remembered Cathy at work REALLY likes chocolate. I thought I would substitute a few chocolate chips. I usually add nuts and I have some walnuts, but I like to add peanuts sometimes. The only peanuts I had were salted in the shell, so then I had to crack the shells and rub off the red skins. Then I thought to make them like trail mix and add both nuts and then I would throw in a few Craisins. So here we go...

Preheat oven to 375.

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract



First cream the 2 sticks of butter. Then add the other ingredients in order. The recipe calls for the soda, cinnamon and salt to be added to flour in a separate bowl. I don't like to dirty bowls so I do it this way. I also measure in this order so I don't get a wet vanilla spoon that I have to hold when measuring out the dry stuff.

When they are all mixed add 1 1/4 cups flour a little at a time. This is what the recipe calls for. I like the cookies to hold their shape and not to flatten out so I add another almost full scoop of the 1/4 cup size measure. So, I put in about 1 1/2 cups of flour.

Then add 3 cups oatmeal. I'm sure you still have some from making the strawberry oatmeal from a previous post :)



I put about 1 1/4 cups butterscotch morsels in a measuring cup, then added about 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup Craisins and about 1/2 cup walnuts and peanuts, chopped. The measurements aren't critical. You just have to have enough dough to hold together! I use a KitchenAid as it is hard to stir at this point.

I use a small scoop to make the cookies uniform. It also is a fast way to get them on the cookie sheet. This is where I have to tell you to invest in some Silpat cookie sheets. They are pricey but I have never had to buy one...Thanks, Lee. They are washable and you never have to grease a cookie sheet or scrape a stuck cookie off a sheet again!! Worth it!!



Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. When you remove a sheet from the oven let it sit for 2 minutes so the cookies can firm up before removing them to a cooling rack. This makes about 4 dozen. Half of which goes to work and the other half to my waist.