TWD: chocolate oatmeal drops

Wow...I have been a bad blogger lately.  And things have been so crazy that I'm quite confused about the days.  I finally got a moment to sit down w/my google reader and saw a TWD post.   My thought was "Oh yeah, that's tomorrow...I guess I could go ahead and schedule my post so it will be up first thing in the morning..."  Then I kept scrolling through reader and saw two more TWD posts--oh crap!  Today IS Tuesday!  So here, even though I baked the cookies five whole days in advance, I am posting towards the end of the day. 

 I made these cookies Friday evening when several of my sweet Bible study girls came to hang out and watch movies :).  They are very much like a brownie in cookie form, and were great warm from the oven, but I must say that I wasn't sure about the oatmeal in them.  I felt kinda like the oatmeal was an add-in like chocolate chips...but to me oatmeal isn't quite special enough to be the special addition to a cookie.  I think maybe I would have liked them better w/more oatmeal or w/chocolate chips instead.  We ate some and then I sent the rest on w/my sister to a friend from high school who has recently had a loss in his family.  I think chocolate cookies are perfect for sad hearts!

For the recipe you can either flip to page 75 of Baking from My Home to Yours (which I know you bought after seeing all the TWD posts right?  right?  well, you should!)  Or you can head over to Caroline & Claire's blog: Bake with Us where they posted the recipe. 

Oh yeah, and when I was really sick a few weeks ago, I actually did make the Great Grains muffins picked by Christine of Happy Tummy, but I never got around to posting about them--or eating all of them for that matter.  Made them on Feb. 1 and took this picture of the remaining muffins yesterday (didn't finish them--they went in the trash after their photo shoot).  They were ok, but I left them completely plain b/c hubs doesn't do fruit or nuts but likes muffins, but then they were too plain.  Oh well...

 

 Don't forget to check out the TWD leave your link post to see who baked along!

Chess bars

aka Paula' Deen's "Gooey Butter Cakes"

I've made these countless times for the Bible study girls and they keep asking me for the recipe but I have failed to post it b/c they are always gone before I can get a picture!  Thankfully one of the girls in the group snapped one for me of a bar she had taken home :)

These are so good and SO easy--I made them the other night in less than 15 minutes!  It's one of those "doctored cake mix" recipes so food snobs will just have to suck it up, but the great thing is that you can also do tons of different variations based on different cake mixes.  I've made it with a chocolate cake mix base and added sifted cocoa powder in the topping for one of the most gooey decadent brownie type creations--you've got to try it!

Here's the basic recipe from Paula Deen:
Cake:
1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 13x9 baking pan (I use a pyrex pan)
In the bowl of an electric mixer or a medium to large bowl, combine cake mix, egg, & butter until evenly mixed.  Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
In same bowl beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs & vanillla.  Dump in powdered sugar and beat well.  Reduce mixer speed & slowly pour in butter until mixture is evenly combined. 
Pour filling onto cake base & spread evenly.
Bake 40-50 minutes--you want the center to be gooey so don't bake it too long.  I usually go about 45 minutes, taking it out when I can really smell it (your house will smell amazing!).
Remove from oven & cool completely.  (I refrigerate over night)
Cut into squares to serve. (yields 20-24 squares)