big. fat. goodness.

Take a bite of this.

I am not always a recipe-tweaker. But today, I needed a BIG, FAT cookie. This means thick, soft, chewy goodness with chunks. I picked oatmeal for hearty thickness, pecans and Hershey's Mini Kisses for chunks, and peanut butter for extra assurance that this new recipe would taste good. Here is what it came down to:

1 c. butter, slightly softened

2 c. brown sugar

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. chocolate syrup

1/4 c. Irish Creme or whipping cream

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 c. flour

2 1/2 c. oatmeal

1 c. pecans

1 (10 oz.) bag Hershey's Mini Kisses

3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Beat butters and sugar very well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, syrup, and creme, beating well. Beat in salt and soda. Beat in flour, mixing well. Stir in remaining ingredients by hand. Drop by tablespoonfuls and form and flatten slightly. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Disclaimers:

• Every oven is different. 10 minutes in my oven made soft cookies. If you bake them until the edges are brown, there's a good chance they'll be crunchy.
• Beating cookie dough well is usually a good thing.
• Adding extra baking soda won't make your cookies thicker. I spent years talking to my cookies, telling them to "GROW, already!" or "STAY FAT!" but soda didn't do it. The key is thickness. Dough shouldn't cake to your fingers when you touch it. If it does, add more flour.

Try your own cookie recipe with your favorite ingredients! It's fun fun!