It's cookie time!

I can tell that Fall is upon us, because I have been in the mood for baking! When I was at the store yesterday, I picked up the spare parts that I would need to bake some of my favorite recipes over the next couple of weeks.

These recipes include:

Pumpkin Bread -There's just something so Fall-ish about this divine little number. Especially if it has mini chocolate chips and maybe a slather of Cream Cheese Frosting.

Orange Rolls-I've been thinking about them all week long, and they make a ton, so I'm totally willing to share!!!

Cinnamon Rolls-Again, love to share these

Cookies-My very favorite cookie recipe will be posted below

I love to bake. It makes me so happy. Like I said, I love sharing my favorite treats with friends, so if you're having a sweet tooth, now is the perfect time to indulge it. My family loves Fall because they know that there will always be a little something sweet to enjoy. So come on over!

Here is my favorite cookie recipe. I bet you can't guess where I got it...my awesome Mother in law of course! I have always loved to make cookies, and when Spencer and I were first married, I would try her recipes but I was frustrated that my cookies never tasted as good as hers did. That's when she let me in on her little secret, and to this day I'm a firm believer!

She told me that the reason her cookies tasted different was because she only used real butter and Pure Vanilla Extract. Up until that point I was using margarine and imitation vanilla. I tried out her suggestion, and guess what? My cookies tasted just as fabulous as hers did! So that's when I became a self-professed "Butter Snob", well you could also say that I'm a "Vanilla Snob" too. When it comes to baking, I will only use the real stuff now.

Costco has a great deal on Pure Vanilla. They carry two brands. McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, and Kirkland Signature Pure Vanilla Extract. Both come in a 16oz bottle. The difference, you ask? About $12! Yep, the McCormick brand is $16 and the Kirkland brand is $4. And I think the Kirkland brand is wonderful. If you've never made your cookies with real vanilla and real butter, just try it out. The difference is amazing!

Okay, enough yappin about butter and vanilla. Here's the recipe already!

Mrs. Field's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Quick Oats
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I like to mix Semi Sweet and Milk Chocolate, or Semi Sweet and Butterscotch chips)

Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Put oats in a blender and blend for a few seconds and set aside. Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Pour in the ground up oats, and mix well. Add the chips.

Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 11 minutes. Another one of my favorite tips is using the 1/2 sheet pans from Costco. They are so shiny, and it helps the cookies to bake more evenly. They will still look a little bit raw when you take them out. Do not put them back in to bake longer! They will firm up while cooling. Leave them on the sheets for a couple of minutes, then transfer them onto wax paper or paper towels to cool completely. When I use my medium size cookie scoop, I get about 3 dozen.

Enjoy!!