M&M Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

What to do with the leftover Halloween candy? R&D hosted only a single trick-or-treater (perhaps the terrifying decorations on the door scared most of them away) and the tiny ghost could only toddle off with so much candy. Drew of course had filled the bowl of blood to the brim so there was more remaining than R&D could reasonably expect to consume. And chocolate is poison for dogs, so there was to be no help from that corner.

Fortunately Drew had purchased lots of M&Ms and peanut M&Ms in the little packs. Raul diligently empties the packs into the bowl until he has a full cup. Then he follows this recipe found at overtimecook.com with only a few variations, most based on Drew's Mom's old-fashioned oatmeal cookie recipe which Raul notes is the definitive cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups oatmeal (rolled oats, not instant)

2 cups mini M&M’s

1/2 cup pecans

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter/margarine and peanut butter for about 30 seconds to combine.

Add the brown sugar and sugar and beat until creamy.

Add the vanilla, baking soda and eggs and beat until combined.

Turn the mixer to low, then add the flour, stir to combine. Add the oatmeal, M&M’s and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.

Scoop the dough out using a medium cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely

The cookies are not allowed to cool completely. And Halloween is going to last long after the decorations are off the door and put away until next year.