Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are delicious, hearty cookies. You can push a few Reeses Pieces or M&M's on the tops right when they come out of the oven for some color and extra bit of crunch (adding orange and black candies on Halloween or red on Valentine's Day is a nice touch).

Makes 24 cookies

Adapted from NY Times Cooking. The photo is theirs.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 cup old fashioned oats

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or use a combination of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips)

• Handful of colored candies (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then add the egg and vanilla and cream until everything is well combined and smooth.

3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture and blend just until it's all incorporated. Don't over blend or the cookies will be tough.

4. Gently fold in the oats and chocolate chips.

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray). Roll cookies into 1 inch balls and place 12 on each cookie sheet, pressing down on the tops just a bit to flatten them.

6. Place the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes until they are lightly browned on top.

7. Remove from oven. If you want, gently press a few colored candies (Reeses Pieces or M&M's work well) into the top of each cookie.