Call me jealous because I am. I do not have a mixer. I have neither the counter space nor an extra $300 for one of those beautiful KitchenAid mixers that comes in so many lovely shades. The only good thing about being mixer-less, is that I get to be really self-righteous when it comes recipes that call for mixers, but could easily be done by hand. For those of you who suffer from this same affliction, there is a nice consolation prize. Living in Japan I baked a lot, but the only big spoon I had in my miniature apartment was my rice scooping spoon. It only took a couple of batches of peanut butter cookies for me to realize that I had found some hidden potential. The spoon is very wide and round, so through some physics I cannot explain, it takes 2/3 less time to blend batter and provides a nice whipped effect. It takes slightly less effort than the average spoon for way above average results.
You can get a rice spoon of your own at your local Asian market for less than a dollar.
One of the recipes I like for this is the Chocoalte Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries recipe a friend passed along from Cook’s Magazine. They suggest using a mixer; I do not. I also leave out the pecans and dry cherries and they are always a big hit.
Changed up Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies 
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped fine)
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped fine)
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl mix oats and chocolate. In a third larger bowl, cream your butter then add sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour and oat mixture to the larger bowl, alternating between the two, beginning with flour and ending with oats. Roll dough into 2” balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Using the palm of your hand smash balls into ¾” rounds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.
I like these cookies to be large and crisp. For plumper soft cookies, ease up on the smashing and bake 2 or 3 minutes less.
I like these cookies to be large and crisp. For plumper soft cookies, ease up on the smashing and bake 2 or 3 minutes less.
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