Oatmeal Chippies

These are good-old, stand-by cookies. The original recipe comes from the Quaker Oats carton top. I have two little problems with cookies in that I often can't stop eating them after they come out of the oven and also that I only like them when they are fresh out of the oven (shortbread-type cookies being the exception). So to counterbalance these issues, I have taken to scooping all the dough onto cookie sheets and freezing the individual balls of dough (except for the batch I'm making right then and there); once they are frozen I take them off the cookie sheet and put them into ziplock bags with baking instructions written in marker on the outside of the bag. When I have a taste for cookies, I remove 2-- that's right, only 2 per customer!!! and thaw them on a small cookie sheet (this only takes about 1/2 hour) and bake. I get my freshly baked cookies and by default, control my intake. The other advantage is that you can have them on hand and bake them in a pinch for an unexpected or last minute event.

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350º. Beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Stir in oats and chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I use a cookie dough scoop because it's much easier and more uniform) onto a parchment or Silpat lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes.