Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters... Milk's New Favorite Cookies!

Moooooove over Oreo, there's a new cookie in town. And I'm pretty confident that in a race to a tall, cold glass of reduced fat milk, these cookies would mow down any Oreo, even Double Stuffed, that got in their way! These cookies are the brain child of none other than Dorie Greenspan. If you're a TWDer, you're already familiar with the deliciousness of these cookies. I, however, was a virgin to the idea of peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chips all married together as one delicious, chewy piece of perfection! Well, not including those no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies... OMG that's a whole other wet dream!

I put my own spin on these by replacing the chocolate chips with mini peanut butter cups. I'm pretty sure that's what puts these cookies over the edge. Imagine biting into a chewy peanut butter cookie and then finding that your teeth have sunk into a tiny, melty peanut butter cup. Can you hear the angels?????

I have to admit, the only cookies I've ever eaten with milk were Oreos and Lorna Doones. But after reading Dorie's description of these cookies and how they pair so well with milk, I simply could not resist. Feel free to cheat on your Oreos with these cookies. I promise you won't regret it! ;D

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
Makes 60 cookies (I got 46 using a #30 [2 Tbsp] scoop)

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I omitted)
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I omitted)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
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
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks (I used 12 ounces mini peanut butter cups)

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.

Serving: I can't remember when I actually served these. They're more often plucked from a cookie jar than picked from a platter.

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.