José's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {for Dudley}

Today is Dudley's birthday. Actually, not only is it his birthday, but it's his last swingin' single birthday and, party pooper that he is, he had the nerve to hole up in his man cave all weekend without doing one thing to mark the day. This is where Dudley and I differ. With the one terrific exception of New Year's Eve, I happen to love celebrations. I like holidays big and small, and I love birthdays. I should give Dudley fair credit, he loves most celebrations, with the exception of Valentine's Day and his birthday. He even likes NYE (booooooo). Darn it though, he does not like to celebrate his birthday, and this becomes a rather sticky situation because I LOVE to celebrate his birthday! How could I not? Last year we had a fiesta fabulosa at la casa azul in D.C. and I think a pretty good time was had by all. This year I'm in Houston, and Dudley is in his man cave with Huckleberry, but I couldn't let January 24th pass without comment.

The obvious thing to post would have been a birthday cake; however, for reasons that will remain undisclosed (for the present anyway), I'm not posting a birthday cake today. Instead I'm posting these cookies for Dudley, and it's, rather sadly a virtual cookie, because I didn't have my ducks in a row to mail him any birthday treats. I know, I know, the neglect is shameful. If you've read this blog for awhile (read: when I used to post more than 3 or 4 times a month) then you might know that Dudley likes cookies with "a lot of stuff" in them. Well, the name is a mouthful in and of itself, and there's quite a bit of "stuff" in these cookies. 

I stumbled across this recipe last winter when I was on the hunt for the "Perfect Oatmeal Cookie Recipe." This didn't go into the test recipe pile because, let's be real, this is not an oatmeal cookie but rather a cookie with oatmeal. It looked like a promising recipe, though, and I was intrigued by the instructions to "Chill cookie dough, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 week."  One week, eh? Well, the NYT CCC instructs to chill for 24-72 hours, and that's stiff, but one week? I wanted to try this recipe out. Originally I had no intention of actually chilling the dough for one week, but I have to admit, this ended up being a well-aged dough. Maybe not 7 days but I think I definitely hit 5 days chilling/rest time. 

I have to say, whether or not it's the long rest time or just this particular grouping of ingredients, these cookies are outstanding! Yum, yum, and yum again. The flavor is great, the texture is great, and I could eat these cookies on any day of the year, but I think they're great for a special little treat, too. Dudley and I both enjoyed them last year (the first time I made them), and I will enjoy them this year in honor of January 24th and his day of all days. It's always fun to ponder what another year might bring:  do you think that Dudley will go from this,

to this?

Hmmm, that seems a little extreme, don't you think? I'm certain there's a happy medium. In the meantime, happy birthday, Dudley! It's your day of all days -- enjoy it!

José's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gourmet March 1996

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• a 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated

In a food processor pulse 1 cup oats until ground fine. In a large bowl stir together ground oats, remaining 1/2 cup whole oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla and peanut butter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and gradually beat in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and grated chocolate, beating just until combined. Chill cookie dough, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Form rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until just pale golden. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely.