Wake-Up Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans

Right out of the shower and before breakfast, I have my first cup of coffee.  With that first cup of coffee, I feel I need a little bite; and generally, it is some kind of simple cookie, like an oatmeal cookie.

I always drop a chocolate-covered espresso bean into my coffee mug.  Then, I started putting an espresso bean on that little cookie and chasing it with a sip of coffee...man on man that's really good!  So, I thought why not just make some oatmeal cookies with espresso beans in them and dunk them into my coffee!  Wow...bingo, perfect!

                                             Why I Jump Out of Bed...

                                                   Every Morning!


Approx. 6 doz. + small cookies

Ingredients

• 1 c. packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated white sugar
• 3/4 c. butter, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 c. unsifted all-purposed flour 
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• approx. l lb. milk or dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (I prefer dark chocolate)*

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Beat the sugars and butter well and scrape the bowl.
4. Add the water, egg and vanilla and mix well; scrape the bowl again.
5. In a separate bowl, using a whisk or fork, combine thoroughly the oats, flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
6. Incorporate fully the dry ingredients into the wet mixture...you can use a heavy-duty mixer on a low speed (for about 1 minute). 
7. Drop, packed and leveled, small cookie scoops of batter about two inches apart onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets. 
8. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until light-golden brown.
9. Remove from the oven and gently press 3 chocolate-covered coffee beans into each cookie, keeping each cookie intact.
10. Let the cookies rest on the pans for about 5 minutes.  Carefully slide the whole sheets of parchment paper with the cookies onto racks to cool.  These cookies store well for a couple of weeks in an air-tight container...preferably a tin can to keep crispy.  

*Tips

1. You can, of course, not add coffee beans to all (or any) of the cookies.
2. The chocolate-covered espresso beans can be purchased competitively priced on Amazon in l lb. bags.  (I have several links to Amazon on this blog.)  Smaller quantities can be purchased in grocery stores; however, I'm not certain about the availability of larger quantities in grocery stores.

The anticipation of dunking one of these delectable cookies into my coffee and the chocolate melting, along with the crunch of the espresso beans, well...

                                                     Oh Yes, Finally...  

                                                    Now I'm Awake!                                       

You'll find these scrumptious wake-up oatmeal cookies well worth jumping out of bed for in the morning!  Enjoy!