Back in the day — when I was a kid, that is — my brother and I walked home from school at 3:00 and knew it was our responsibility to practice the piano (our teacher required an hour a day), do our homework and get dinner ready.
Ours was a working Mom; she taught us how to set the table; she prepared the food and we put it in the oven at the appropriate time.
She was responsible for making sure there were cookies and milk when we got home — to feast on before said chores and stuff.
Sometimes she left us store-bought cookies. I have memories of fig bars, Hydrox and shortbread.
But mostly she baked. Butter cookies. Peanut butter cookies. Oatmeal-Raisin.
By the time I had my own children, life was very different. They took a school bus home and walked down the hill to our house. I was a working Mom, but my job as a food writer meant I worked at home.
I didn’t usually give them cookies and milk. Food styles had changed, so snacktime meant granola bars or those peanut-butter filled cheese crackers (I bought those because I mistakenly thought they were healthy). Sometimes a frozen burrito.
Looking back — I really like the milk and cookies thing. I miss those days. I miss the milk and cookies. Especially the dunking of cookies in the milk and then trying to bite off a soft milk-drenched piece before it fell into the bottom of the glass.
Cookies really are much better than frozen burritos and peanut-butter filled cheese crackers.
So, for all the parents of all the kids who are coming home from school now that the new term has begun — here are some cookies to consider for snacktime after school, before the piano practice or homework or whatever they have to do before the day is done.
Chocolate-Oat Bars
Cookie layers:
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
chocolate layer:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15-inch x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
To make the cookie layers: beat 1 cup of the butter with the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and well blended. Add the eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and blend them in thoroughly. Add the oats, flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat for 1-2 minutes or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan.
To make the chocolate layer, place the condensed milk, chocolate, butter and salt in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate has melted. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and raisins. Spread this mixture evenly over the cookie layer. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumb mixture. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into squares.
Makes about 48