Not Your Momma's Oatmeal Scotchies: Peanut Butter Coconut Oatmeal Scotchies

My mother was not much of a baker when we were young. She really only started baking my little brother's last semester of his senior year of high school (we chalked it up to her impending empty nest, so she was making up for lost time). Her mission to bake every single kind of cookie known to man ended after a few months when she realized she was eating more of the batter than she was baking (who hasn't been there).

But I have to give my mom credit where credit's due; she made some mean Oatmeal Scotchies growing up. That may have been the only cookie she baked, but man oh man were they tasty. I believe I bonded with my freshmen year of college roommate's quicker because of those cookies (my mom had barely left campus before those babies were devoured).

So, when I saw this recipe from Lauren's Latest for Peanut Butter Coconut Oatmeal Scotchies, I knew I had to try them. They were like my mom's, but with a twist, a delicious twist that I know my mom is going to have to bake (and kill me for introducing the recipe to her). I also saw this as an opportunity to redeem my dear Lauren for the S'mores Tart fail of a few weeks ago. I'm not even going to wait till after I post the recipe to let you all know that they were AH-Mazing!!! According to my brother they were, "as good as mom's or better." Smooth way to cover your bases with the ladies in your life little bro. I actually would say they are more accurately "Oatmeal Scotchies with Coconut and Peanut Butter Chips", because the peanut butter flavor is not overwhelming. So, anyone out there that was considering not making these because they don't like peanut butter cookies should still give these a shot. They will not disappoint. Here is the recipe:

Mine

Lauren's. Photo from www.laurenslatest.com 

Peanut Butter Coconut Oatmeal Scotchies
yield: 8 large, 12 small

(*Note: I doubled the recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon oats
2 tablespoons shredded sweetened coconut
2 tablespoons peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons butterscotch chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together. Stir in egg and vanilla. Stir in baking soda, salt and flour until just incorporated. Pour in remaining ingredients and stir. Scoop onto prepared pan and bake 8-9 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. (*Note: I needed more like 11-13 minutes) Cool 3 minutes on the pan and remove to cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cream butter and sugars, will stick together a lot!

Don't forget to beat that egg in another bowl

Add egg and vanilla to butter and sugars
(will be a bit watery)

(Add salt, flour, and baking powder)

Add the good stuff

Scoop onto your baking sheet and pop into the oven

Pros: Delicious and easy to make! No mixers needed and they take no time at all to whip up. Another plus for me was that none of the elements were overwhelming. They didn't taste too peanut buttery or too coconut-y (yes I made up that word), they were perfect. They are just the scotchies you had growing up, just chock full of other good stuff. 

Fresh out of the oven

Cons: I found that the timing was off for baking the cookies, but that is to be expected. Everyone's oven is different, it also depends on the altitude you are baking in, so keep that in mind. I generally find when I make recipes from "Lauren's Latest", I need to add a couple of minutes of baking time. 


Revisions: I stuck to the recipe this time, but did double it and they came out excellent. If you wanted to, you could leave out any of the elements and possibly add some. I'm sure chocolate chips would taste delicious in this recipe, it just depends on your taste!

From Hall of Shame to Hall of Fame, Lauren's Latest has done a 180 in desserts for my blog. This lady knows how to make a mean cookie and these are definitely an instant favorite for my family. Easy and delicious, what more can you ask for out of a cookie?