If You Like Cookies...

I'm one of those annoying picky eaters. So picky that I'm even picky about desserts! This is good for the waistline I suppose. ( : Anyway, I like cookies well enough if they are fresh out of the oven. But the next day? Meh. I've also found that my family feels the same way. Cookies the first day go fast, but anything left over sits around in the cupboard going stale.

The other thing is that I also don't plan ahead very well, at least for treats. If we want a Family Home Evening treat or something like that, I usually don't have one made. So, I wanted a solution to this problem. (Yes, yes, I know this is a first-world problem!)

So, a few years back I decided to make a large batch of cookie dough and freeze it in portions. I wrote about it quite some time ago HERE. Recently I did it again. Below you can see oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough ready for the freezer.

 What I didn't focus on in that old post and wanted to make mention of today is using a toaster oven to bake the cookies. I LOVE doing this! By using the toaster oven I don't have to heat up my whole kitchen and use nearly as much energy. It's easy to pull out a few frozen cookies and pop them on the tray. In 15 minutes I can have cookies for our Family Home Evening treat or whatever special occasion I want. Yay!

They are so nice and warm and ooey-gooey. Mmmm....and I can cook just the right amount and avoid the problem of stale cookies sitting around. 

Oh, and that old post I linked to has a recipe for oatmeal cookies that includes shortening. Shortening is terribly bad for you of course with all that partially hydrogenated oil which means bad trans fats. But, I finally figured out something else I could use in the cookies that I really like:

 

 Coconut oil!

I think I used some butter and some coconut oil and it was very yummy.

After writing this I may have to go pop one in the toaster oven! Yuuum. 

By the way, does anyone else ever use a toaster oven? I use mine almost every day. I use it for warming up leftover biscuits or rolls, cooking chicken nuggets or fish sticks, broiling a small portion of salmon or tilapia for my lunch, cinnamon toast at breakfast, garlic toast for lunch or dinner, reheating leftover pizza slices and cookies of course! I only have 3 kids who eat solid food currently, so a little toaster oven can handle our needs. 

If I could choose an oven to buy I would get the kind that has two separate baking compartments. I love the idea of only heating up half an oven for a single casserole dish or pan of cookies. Oh, and I'd make sure to get one that has a really low yogurt setting so allow me to incubate big batches of yogurt at the right temperature! 

So, if you have a toaster oven, you've got to try making fresh cookies in it sometime. Just add a few minutes on the cooking time if the dough is frozen.