Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Thursday was a chilly, windy day - the kind of day that begs for cookies to be made.  I was craving No Bake cookies, but we didn't have any Quick Oats in the pantry.  So I went on an Internet hunt for something with peanut butter, chocolate and oatmeal.  I found the most remarkable cookie on one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker.

The only variation between our cookie and the original is that we used mini-chocolate chips, which happened because that is all we had on hand, but it turned out to be fantastic.  I am certain this is our new favorite cookie.  It's a simple but perfect combination - the peanut butter is subtle, the oatmeal adds a crunch and the mini-chocolate chips perfectly distributed chocolatey-ness throughout the cookie.  

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Glazed Donut Muffins

I don't recall exactly how I first stumbled across these beautiful creations but I do know I immediately pinned them. The version I made and pinned came from Joy the Baker's blog.

I love muffins - they're handy. I can make them ahead of time. They fit in one hand. They travel well and are pre-portioned.

I love donuts - they're yummy. But...they're no treat for the hips, so a baked version has to be better right?

I love chocolate - enough said.

So what could be better than combining all those things together?!

As with all things, I had to make a few changes...

I eliminated the nutmeg because I didn't want a nutmeg flavor to them.
I used skim milk because that's what I had on hand.
I used vanilla yogurt rather than plain because that's what they had in small sizes.
I used semi-sweet chocolate rather than unsweetened because we like our chocolate to taste really chocolatey.

Overall, easy to make and worth the time invested, though I really thought they tasted like a dense version of my vanilla cupcakes.

The chocolate glaze was perfect. I may never make icing/frosting for any cupcake ever again. The glaze was prettier and easier and yummier than any other recipe I have ever made.