This One's For the Team

I’m constantly reading blogs, magazines and cookbooks that proclaim they have “The Best” recipe for . Proper logic tells me that can’t possibly be true. They can’t all be “The Best.” With so many recipes out there I think it’s a pretty gusty move to claim yours as the ultimate. Personal preferences play a huge roll in determining how much I like something compared to how much you like it. For example, anyone who tries to tell me that thin, crunchy cookies are “The Best” is fighting a losing battle. There’s no way I’m going to agree with them. The same goes for cakey brownies. You might believe with all your heart that a certain version of a recipe is the be all and end all but I have no doubt there’s a slew of people who will disagree with you. People are crazy that way, (case in point, people who don’t like things they’ve never tried.) With all of that in mind, I won’t try to tell you that these cookies are “The Best” you will ever have, but they very well could be, they’re amazing! And for the record, I’ve heard many, many people say they’re the best they’ve ever had.

So just what kind of cookies am I talking about? Team Cookies. Also known as the perfect balance of peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chips. I’ve eaten hundreds of these cookies but this is the first time I’ve ever made them myself. I was introduced to Team Cookies 5 years ago when I played University basketball. Pam, my teammate and roommate and best friend’s Mom, made a mountain of these cookies and brought them to one of our games in a plastic bucket. There were so many cookies that they couldn’t be contained in a mere cookie tin, they actually required a bucket. Go big or go home! As soon as I tasted one though, I understood why there were so many. Pam had been baking these cookies for basketball teams for a long time and it never mattered how many she made, they would always disappear. The cookies are so good that they developed a cult following all of their own. It began with the women’s basketball team and quickly spread to the men’s team as sharing a bus with them meant sharing our cookies too. Then someone gave one to a volleyball player and soon they were on the lookout for the cookie bucket. And I don’t know if it was my imagination but it seemed like we had more friends and fans in the stands when Pam and her cookies made an appearance… Luckily for all of you, Pam believes that recipes should be shared and not hoarded so without further ado, I give you Team Cookies:

Basketball Team Cookies

1 cup peanut butter, (crunchy preferred)

1 cup soft butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup lightly-packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups « quick » rolled oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-1½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together peanut butter, butter, white and brown sugar and brown sugar. If you don’t use crunchy peanut butter, I would suggest adding in salted peanuts when you mix in the chocolate chips.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Combine oats, flour and baking soda, and stir into peanut butter mixture.

Add chocolate chips. If the dough is still really sticky, add in a little more flour.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Place in oven at 325-350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly brown, do NOT overcook these.

Cool on rack. Makes 4 dozen.

* The only disclaimer I must put on these cookies is that when you make them, they will never be as good as when Pam does.

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Chocolate + Cookies + Peanut Butter + Baking