Birthdays and Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe is for my birthday boys, because they both love chocolate…lots of it! And cookies warm out of the oven. Three layers of chocolate flavor, a smattering of coffee, and some oatmeal to make this momma feel like I’m giving my family something healthy!
My birthday is Christmas Eve. As lovely as that seems, so closely sharing a birthday with the Savior of the world, it’s really quite a drag. Well you think I would have planned a bit better when it came to the birth of my children. Nope. I did not. Two out of four are December birthdays, and to make it worse they are within a week of Christmas. Mine the 24th, my third child on the 28th, my first-born on the 30th of December. Holy Mother of God….forgive me for I think not about what I do. That was a prayer people, I was not being sarcastic or sacrilegious.
And to double my pain….I have laid on mountains of tradition when it come to my kiddos birthdays. Because mine was always pretty much Christmas….. I have gone to the enth degree to make my boys birthdays special. My oldest would say annoyingly so. My younger son would probably still say he feels jipped. It’s hard. Birthdays at the holidays are just weird. Ken and the girls all have Summer birhtdays….Lucky bumbs. They have no idea.
Wahhh we have it so hard. Not. We are friends right? I can vent and whine a little can’t I? Thank you. Love you.
What are some of the traditions? Well they are all mostly food related…SHOCKER. First off I always hang a birthday banner, and do some decorations around the breakfast table, where the birthday presents are waiting for them. One year I did a scavenger hunt to find their gifts, key words one year. It took too much thinking on my part. I do not have that sort of mind. I have friends that are scavenger hunt aficionados. Everyone’s got their gifts, scavenger hunt planning is not mine.
Mine would be food.
I also prepare them whatever food they want for all three meals. This has been anything from homemade donuts for breakfast, to taco bar at lunch, to homemade egg rolls at dinner. Sometimes a kid birthday party thrown in there or sledding party with hot chocolate. The skies the limit…pretty much. Then we end the day by looking through their baby book, and pictures. It’s good to remember.
I came up with these cookies as a gift to all of the December birthday people in our home and around the globe.
These are like prize-winning cookies…..if I may say so myself. It took me a few tries. And I got it right, these cookies will take the edge off any holiday birthday stress you may have. Strong cup of Jo and a Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie…wahBAM and you will be buzzing around like one of Santa’s elves!
Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of Butter softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 4 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate squares melted and cooled
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Instant Coffee Crystals
- 1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
- 2 cups Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a double boiler melt chocolate squares and allow to cool for 5 minutes. (If you want chocolate to cool faster stir to whip air into chocolate.)
- Cream together butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beat until each is incorporated. Add Vanilla. Slowly add in cooled chocolate. Beat into butter mixture, be sure to scrape the bowl at least once.
- Measure out flour add in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, coco powder and combine. Gradually add flour mixture to chocolate butter mixture. Once all flour is added sprinkle in coffee crystals and beat until combined. Next add oatmeal and chocolate chips.
- Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on to parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, no more no less. Even if the cookies do not appear to be done take them out of the oven and remove them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack or cool surface.
Notes
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Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
makes 2 dozen
2 sticks of Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
4 1 ounce squares Unsweetened Chocolate, melted and cooled
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Instant Coffee Crystals
1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
2 cups Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. In a double boiler melt chocolate squares and allow to cool for 5 minutes. (If you want chocolate to cool faster stir to whip air into chocolate.)
2. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beat until each is incorporated. Add Vanilla. Slowly add in cooled chocolate. Beat into butter mixture, be sure to scrape the bowl at least once.
3. Measure out flour add in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, coco powder and combine. Gradually add flour mixture to chocolate butter mixture. Once all flour is added sprinkle in coffee crystals and beat until combined. Next add oatmeal and chocolate chips.
4. Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on to parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, no more no less. Even if the cookies do not appear to be done take them out of the oven and remove them from the baking sheet to a cooling rack or cool surface.
Minty Version: Cut vanilla down to 1 teaspoon, leave out the cinnamon, and add in 1/4 teaspoon Lorann Peppermint Oil (the kind you use to make rock candy), or 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Mint Extract. This makes these cookies taste like Andes Mints. Wunderlicious!!
Enjoy!
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Cheers to the New Year! Wishing you all the best and a very blessed Christmas season!!
Peace, Sheila
I had no idea your birthday was Christmas Eve! Happy birthday!!! Can’t imagine keeping up with all those December celebrations. Judah’s is December 3rd, which I thought was hard because it’s right between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but holy cow, I’d prefer that over the 24th, 28th and 30th! wowsa!
My parents begged to let Judah open his Christmas and birthday presents from them all at the same time when they were visiting early December. Reluctantly, I agreed. But, I really wanted to try hard to separate the two (Birthday and Christmas). At least we know Christmas is about more than gift opening! 🙂
Maybe we should plan a half birthday celebration for you in June/July? 🙂
I would love a half birthday celebration!! bring it on Sistah! xoxo
Oh gosh, we have birthday issues too! I used to think that my Jan 8 b’day was tough. I never felt this way as a kid, but as an adult by New Year’s Day I am so over celebrations and eating too much that I wish we could just skip the hoopla. Send me a text or a card and I’m golden. I have three kids. The oldest, a daughter, is a Christmas Eve baby. We have gone overboard to keep her birthday special. Now that she is a mom and lives 1600 miles away that is a little harder to do, but we try. The second, a son, has a May birthday which every seventh year is on Mother’s Day. The third’s birthday, a son, is right before July 4’th. When he was younger it was hard to plan a kid’s party as everyone around here heads to cabins for the 4’th. I learned to plan his party right after school let out for the summer or he might miss out. Have a great year!
OH I am not looking forward to the years that my kiddos are possibly not near me! sigh! My girls are in the summer, and well it’s easier to get in the mood to celebrate in the summer…we have found the same thing true, in Michigan everyone plays so much that it’s hard to catch people home to celebrate birthdays! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your family with me! xoxo Happy New Year, Sheila
I think it’s great you make December birthdays special. It would be hard to have a birthday so close to Christmas! These cookies look great!
Woman, you are so wonderfully bonkers! I love it and all the birthday traditions! Those are the things the kids and you will always remember! Happy belated birthday Sheila, to you, the kiddos and our Savior!
You cracka me up!! The kiddies will love this one! We shall make them & share them!
Happy Birthday, you beautiful woman! I hope you and all the family have the most blessed, joyful Christmas ever.
These cookies look so fudgy. I.want.
Thank you! It is already Christmas for you….and Santa hasn’t made it to our side of the earth yet! 😉 Best Wishes to you Maureen. Peace &love to you and yours, Sheila
Happy Birthday to you and an early greeting to the others with Dec. birthdays! These cookies look pretty yummy. They will be on the list of cookies to make! Love the family Christmas card!
Thank You!
Wow, keeping up with all those birthdays is impressive. I like how you do that though.
And since I absolutely love chocolate I know these cookies are for me.
First of all, I want you to know how much I love these cookies. And second of all…I am thinking you are crazier than I ever imagined. Wow, way to keep up with Christmas AND all those birthdays…making everyone their favorite meals 3x in a day?! That’s awesome! Happy HAPPY Birthday to you (and everyone else in your fam celebrating now in December), my sweet friend. And Merriest Christmas to you and your family! xo
Oh my these babies will wake you up before you gogo! Thanks for stopping by Brenda! I know this birthday thing sheds a whole new light on my crazy! Merry merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! xox Sheila
These look incredible Sheila! I love your holiday/birthday traditions. Especially the one where you look at baby books every year. Note to Self: Must work on Jacob’s baby book… 😉
Thanks Liz 🙂 falalalalalaLAAAH! 😉