When we were kids, the summer didn’t end without me and my sister spending an afternoon watching some terrible movie or marathon. The Legend of Billie Jean. Meatballs. Fifteen and Pregnant. An all-day Facts of Life marathon. Something we could talk through. And snack through. One particularly inspired afternoon, Mom made us eggrolls to peck while we watched The Birds.

Now that summer is winding down, I find myself gravitating toward bad movies. Really bad movies. Movies starring people like Nicolas Cage. One afternoon, surrounded by moving boxes and things to do, Jeff and I halted all progress for Con-Air. It was no Fifteen and Pregnant, but few things are.

About halfway through the movie, I realized the Snack Fairy wasn’t coming, so I started making this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie pick: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters. Yes, they’re easy enough to prep and bake during commercial breaks. The ingredients are pretty obvious, but the spices – cinnamon and nutmeg – give the cookies a little sumpin-sumpin. You could easily make this recipe your own by adding crushed peanuts, M&Ms, coconut, toffee bits or (God forbid) raisins. And I’m pretty sure they’d be delicious with a little softened ice cream or marshmallow fluff sandwiched between them.

A word of warning: once you start eating these cookies, it’s hard to stop. I ate four before breakfast. And then I packed the rest into a tin and sent them to work with Jeff. It’s OK to indulge in guilty pleasures, as long as Exhibit A isn’t your third buttock.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Makes about 60 cookies

  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup peanut butter (not natural)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day.

4. If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula.

6. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Storing: The cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they’ll be good for 2 months.