{Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies}

Well, the new school year is upon us. I know a lot of people are yet to start, but Bean started his Junior year last week.

And I'm not the least bit excited about it. Not only do I hate going to bed at a 'reasonable hour' and getting up early, I hate that he's so big. Seriously with the time? Where??? I don't even understand.

He used to eat Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal every day before school. Every. Day. For years and years. Probably 8 years straight, that's all the boy would eat. Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal. He has, of course, since discovered the joys of Waffle Crisp (which I made into cupcakes here). He still loves the oatmeal, but perhaps not quite as much.

It seemed quite necessary to make it into a cookie though, right? Yes, I thought so.

This is a super simple recipe. It took less than 10 minutes to whip up and 10 minutes to bake. Quick, easy, and a wholesome lunch box snack. You know exactly what are in these puppies.

 It doesn't matter if we love it, or hate it, the fact is, the new school year is upon us. Even if I think it's totally dumb and that time is seriously mean, I just have to deal.

Cookies help.

Tina

Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

recipes by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

yield: 12-14 three inch cookies 

or 2 dozen two inch cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon maple extract*

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

*I like the taste and texture of the maple syrup, but it isn't maple enough for me, so I also add the extract. You can taste after adding the syrup and decide how much, if any, extract you like. 

(I make my cookies rather large, you can make them smaller. If you make them smaller, watch the baking time, start with 8 minutes, but they generally take about the same amount of time as the larger cookies)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together the butter & the sugars. Beat in the egg. Add in the syrup & extract (see above). Then add dry ingredients except oats. Mix well. Then add oats. 

Drop onto parchment lined, silpat lined, or greased baking sheets.

Bake for 8-11 mins. Allow to cool 5 mins before moving to cooling racks.

{ Lunch Box Treats }

Well, it's that time of year again.

You know this commercial?

Oh. My. Landsies. How it makes me laugh! I used to look forward to seeing it each year, but I don't think they've played it for a few.

However, this is NOT how I feel. I feel more like this:

Sighhhhhhhhhh......... I love having the Bean home in the summer. We run around together, have 'dates' once a week, we have a good time. Of course the last couple years have been eaten alive with his Summer Drama Troupe (takes up all of June), but still, we love the summer. More than anything though, more than the passing of holidays or the coming of birthdays, the start of the new school year always makes me realize how quickly he is growing up. He will be a Sophomore in High School this year. Oh Em WHAT? 15 years old, working on 6 foot tall, wearing a size ELEVEN shoe. Sad Panda Mom. So, school starts here on Wednesday. Crazy cakes, I know, but that's when it starts. On Sundays, during the school year, I always bake up a batch of cookies or cupcakes for his lunch. Today

I'm sharing several cookie recipes that you might have missed.

Here we go:

________________________________________________________________________

Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies    Chocolate Chip Cookies filled with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Buttercream

   

Peanut Butter Blossoms   Soft and chewy peanut butter cookie topped with a chocolate kiss (I used chocolate hearts for Valentine's Day here)    

 

Gooey Cookies & Red Velvet Cookies   Moist & delicious cookies that start with cake mix!  
 

 Double Trouble Cookies   Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches with a cream filling  
  

 Chocolate Chip Cookies   The all time favorite of most everybody!    
 

 
   Chewy Oatmeal Cookies   Rich & Buttery, these Oatmeal Cookies make fans out of even non-Oatmeal Cookie likers!    
 

Snickerdoodles   Sweet & lightly cinnamon-y, these are *my* favorite cookies. They aren't just for Christmas, folks!  
 

So, there you have it. Some of our favorites. Make some up for your munchkins & pop in their lunchboxes. They'll be the most popular kid at the lunch table. Just ask the Bean! In the meantime, I'll try not to be a Sad Panda. Cheer me up by posting below about your kids heading back to school. Are you excited? Nervous for them? Happy to have time to yourself? Or are you, like me, saddddddddddd pannnnnnnnda?

Tina

Shared at:

Everyday Mom's Meals

Six Sisters Stuff                    Michelle's Tasty Creations

{ "Ice Cream" Cupcakes }

 The Bean has 2 days of 9th grade left. TWO DAYS? Two days left as a High School Freshman.

That's just not right. Sophomore seems SO much older than a Freshman.

Plus I don't get to call him names like Freshy, Freshbait, and Freshmeat. 

Sophomore is just no fun.

At the end of the year, he likes to give his teachers a little gift. We've done Ice Cream Cone Cake Balls and Giant Cookies from this recipe (which we dipped 1/2 way in melted chocolate & covered in sprinkles). They are also quite fond of these Caramel Apples,that we gave them as Christmas gifts.

Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

If you give an Elementary School Teacher a gift, they will be very appreciative and thankful. If you give a Jr. High/High School Teacher a gift, they will loose their minds.

See, something happens between Elementary School and Jr. High School. The gifts, they stop. I assume it's because, instead of 1 teacher, the kids have several, but I'm not sure. It's an interesting phenomenon. While an Elementary Teacher's desk at Christmas is loaded with gifts, a Jr High/High School Teacher's is empty.

Now, I totally understand, gifts are expensive, that is why we started making gifts from the oven.
They love it.

This year, we found this cool cupcake originally posted at Living Locurto by Kristan of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

Now, how dang cute are those?


Here's our take on them...

It's just a cupcake in an ice cream container (I got these at Bake it Pretty)  with a holy ton of icing.

Our icing was scooped with an actual ice cream scoop.

Top that with melted chocolate (chocolate bark), then sprinkles, and a red gumball, or, as we used, a red Peanut M&M (M side down, of course!).

You can also buy little domed lids for the containers, or you can package them as Kristan did.

We added a note, taped a spoon to the top, and bam, done.

The Bean made the icing, did the sprinkles, and added the cherry. He wanted me to spoon the chocolate on, however.

 I'm clearly more gifted in chocolate plopping.

It's a life skill.

How great would these be for a birthday party? 

Great for a summertime party too!

And yes, as always, the teachers were thrilled.

2 more days. I can't believe my lil Bean is nearly a Sophomoron.

Ok, that's a little mean, but I've got a few months to work on it.

Happy Summer!!

Tina