yummy oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

okay, so how is it that I (Darren) am already posting for Pam on her blog when it is ONLY day two? hmmm...I'll consider it a Valentine's Day gift.

so these cookies are all the rage here in the Prince household. they contributed to about a pound or two of Jesse's birthweight the last month before Jesse was born in 2003 because I was making them all the time. and we continue to make a batch of dough and keep it sitting around in the fridge for up to a week at at time. I'm not sure where the recipe comes from, but I found it through a friend's housemate's friend.

Jose's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flower (note: we started using whole wheat flower here, and they turned out great)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (you could use less butter here if you wanted to)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated (this is optional -- I rarely put it in)

In a food processor pulse 1 cup of 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 peanutbutter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and gradually beat in flower mixture. Add chocolate chips and grated chocolate, beating just until combined. Chill cookie dough, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.
(sometimes we just can't wait, so we make a tray of cookies while the rest of the dough chills).

Preheat oven to 325.

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 the middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until just pale golden. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely.

Makes about 60 cookies. (really? I can't believe that. then again, I tend to lose count.)