Bakey Bakerson

Yesterday Mimi and I stayed home from school together to fight off the cold that had taken over her body. Thanks to both the extra time I had at home, paired with my mission to get good things in her to help her immune system, I started baking. (Because the only way that Mimi will eat vegetables or fruit now is if it's tucked inside a baked good )I had hoped to make some oatmeal cherry cookies, zuchinni bread and bannana bread, but only got the cookies crossed off my list...more to come later! When Ben walked in to our semi-clean house, with a hot dinner in the works and cookies on the table, he said, "are you interviewing to be a stay-at-home mom?" (p.s. I totally was :) I think I may have been hired...(under the false pretense that the house would always be like that when he came home! Although, I'm confident that he knows better... :)
Here's the recipe I made for the cookies. They are soo yummy! I made extra so I could pass some out as Valentines at school (because I think that I'm the only one who gets jazzed about this silly little holiday. Cards, chocolate, red...what's not to love!?!)

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1.5 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

I had to include these next two pictures to really show what Mimi loves most now...THE PHONE! She's usually either talking to Nana or Mando...(refer to our previous blog about her "Mando love")

Here are the two people who I would clean and bake for anytime...