Nika cookies

Apparently I like to bake during storms that occur in February and start with the letter “N”…last year Nemo, this year Nika, a slightly different version of a previous Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve made. If you’re curious about the rest of this winter’s storm names, check out the list on the Weather Channel.

Nika (NEE-ka): From Greek mythology; the goddess who personified winning or victory.

View of the storm from my place

I was pretty excited that I actually cooked something…baking = cooking, right? It was a toss up between cookies and a red lentil soup recipe that I saw on Pinterest. Cookies won since I had all of the ingredients on hand (we definitely overbought for our post-Christmas cookie bake-a-thon as I still have two more pounds of butter in my freezer). Speaking of the Christmas cookiefest, these cookies were my almost favorite this year…M&M cookies will always be the favorite favorite. I think it was the substitution of the pecans for walnuts that gave them the silver medal over Martha’s sugar cookies and Sofra’s molasses cookies.

If you want to try these for yourself, I’ll be giving them away, in addition to Valentine M&M cookies, next week (2/12) at the UNC-Dook game watch event at the Baseball Tavern…in exchange for participating in a 50:50 fundraiser raffle to support my Boston Marathon fundraising efforts. I guess that’s what some people call bribing…you say potato, I say potato. Feel free to stop by, as long as you’re not rooting for the Dookies!

Oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookies
Source: AllRecipes
Makes 6-7 dozen (depending on how big you like ’em)

This is how I chop pecans

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Just add milk

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the oats, pecans, and chocolate chips.

4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (I line mine with parchment paper).

5. Bake 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.