Dorie's Chuncky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters, Texas Sheet cake and twenty years at the same company

Fresh out of Boise State University with a Marketing Degree in hand my husband started working for Idaho Power. I was born in California and raised in Idaho. I met Steven at Boise State University when I was 20. I had this internal fear I may have to move out of Idaho someday. Imagine my Joy when he got the job at IDAHO power! I was pretty sure that meant we would live in Idaho for awhile. Well 20 years later, 7 houses and 3 towns we still live in Idaho! He started working in the mail room and moved his way right on up to a great management position. All of these 20 years I have been able to stay at home with my kids. I'm so thankful for a hard working husband and a great company to work for! So that leads me to this day. A special day to celebrate 20 years at the same job. In today's world I find that quite an accomplishment. I can't tell you how many people I know who go from company to company, moving all the time and sometimes not finding a new job for some time. I'm so thankful we have been secure with the same company for all of these years. Steven told me there having a pizza party for at work and the kids and I are invited. I thought about it and came up with an excuse to bake something. I had this new pan and thought what about a TX sheet cake. I made one years ago and remembered it being BIG and very moist. So out with the old recipe box, I hunted for this recipe. I found it, baked it and it turned out to be everything I remembered. I also made these cookies from Dories cookbook From My Home To Yours. I have been eyeing them for sometime and thought this was a perfect time to bake them. They are one of my new favorite cookies! They are packed with chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal! Three of my favorite things to eat!


 Recipe for the Texas Sheet Cake Cake:

1 cup butter
1 cup water
4 T. cocoa powder
 2 cups all -purpose flour
 2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
 2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
Icing:
1/2 cup butter
 6 T. milk
 4 T. cocoa powder
 1 pound confectioners sugar,
sifted 1 tsp vanilla( I used vanilla paste)
 1 cup pecans( optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350*

For cake, combine butter, water and cocoa in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

 In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add butter mixture all at once, and stir to blend. Whisk eggs and sour cream together; add to batter and mix well. Pour batter into a greased and floured 18x12x1 inch pan and bake for 20 min.
Just before cake is done, make icing. Combine butter, milk and cocoa in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. ADD confectioners sugar and vanilla and mix well.
Ice cake while it is still warm, and top nuts, if desired.

After looking in the TWD all ready baked recipes I learned the group baked the cookies back in Sept. of 2008. I became a member of Tuesday with Dorie's shortly after that. Im happy to say this is an excellent recipe and these cookies will deliver some ultimate flavor!

The recipe: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters Dorie Greenspan: Baking, From My Home to Yours
3 cups old fashioned oats
 1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 1 tsp)
 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used 1 stick)
 1 cup peanut butter--chunky or smooth (but not natural)
1 cup sugar 
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
 2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
(I used vanilla paste)
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

Getting Ready:

 Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

 Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended.

Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)
 If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.
. Storing: Wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they'll be good for 2 months.

Playing Around: You can substitute soft, moist raisins for the chocolate chunks or just stir in some raisins along with them. If you're really looking for crunch, toss in chopped peanuts too (salted or not). With or without the chocolate chunks, raisins, and nuts, these cookies are great with ice cream or around ice cream - think about them the next time you want a chipwich-ish ice cream sandwich