Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recently someone mentioned to me that during the holidays they prefer to give friends frozen cookie dough rolled into balls so they can make them whenever they want.  I had never thought of doing this before and it sounded like such a great idea to me.   With frozen cookie dough balls, you could make as many cookies as you want, whenever you want.  Got a hankering for just one cookie after dinner?  Just pop one in the oven, or better yet, the toaster oven, and 10-12 minutes later - Wah Lah!  Warm cookie!

Want to know how to do it?  It's super easy and only requires a few more steps than making regular cookies.

First, make your cookie dough.  Then use heaping teaspoons of dough to roll into a ball.  Fill a cookie pan or 13"x9" pan with the dough balls, making sure that they don't touch each other or the sides of the pan.

Stick the pan in the freezer until the balls are frozen.  Make sure there's enough room for the pan to lie flat so the balls don't roll around.  Meanwhile, label a large ziploc freezer bag with the name of the cookie, date, and baking instructions.  When the dough is frozen, put the balls into the ziploc bag and seal tight.  Try to get as much air out of the bag as possible.

When you want to make the cookies, just add a couple minutes to the baking time.  Then enjoy your nice, warm, gooey cookies!

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies
  - from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook, 1996

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 cups quick cooking or old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips

1.  Heat oven to 375
2.  Mix all ingredients except the last 3 in a large bowl.  Stir in oats, flour, and raisins (or nuts or chocolate)
3.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet
4.  Bake 9-11 minutes until light brown.  Remove immediately to cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!