"Wild Cookie Pops"
Get the whole family involved making these!
Ingredients
(A fun idea: divide the batter into bowls, one for each child, and put
out a tray of goodies, such as raisins, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and dried cranberries and apricots. Let the kids go
wild by adding as many or as few of these as they want to their custom cookie batches).
1 and 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
Up to 1/3 cup dried apricots (chopped), minced walnuts, and dried cranberries
or cherries (optional)
Up to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Up to 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Up to 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
15 Popsicle sticks
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing
bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs and then the vanilla extract.
2. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until you don't see
any more white. Stir in the rolled oats until well combined. At this point, you can divide the batter into separate bowls,
one for each cookie eater. Add the optional goodies. Use some or all, in any combination. The amounts are flexible, so add
as much or as little as you like, within reason. Try oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip cookies in one bowl and apricot oaties
in another.
3. Stir as well as possible; the goodies may not be evenly distributed,
but that's okay. Drop by rounded teaspoon or tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and insert a stick at least 1 inch
into each cookie to form a pop. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Cool on
a wire rack before eating. Store in an airtight container.
PREP TIME: 30 minutes, plus baking.
KIDS' STEPS: Measuring and mixing the dough, stirring in the goodies,
spooning the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, and inserting the Popsicle sticks.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
