For Russell

In the latest round of Operation Baking Gals, our team baked for my friend, Russell, who is currently leading a unit that is training with the Hungarian Guard, before continuing on to Afghanistan.

I baked late in the round because all of my team members were emailing me to tell me what they had whipped up for Russ. It ranged from traditional chocolate chip cookies to peanut butter bars, lemon poppyseed bread and chocolate hazelnut biscotti. I figured I would wait until the end, so I could be sure to send him something he and his unit hadn't received yet.

I also wanted to try a new recipe, but wanted to stick with a cake mix base, since those seem to stay the freshest. These Chocolate Chip Macadamia Oat Cookies fit the bill, and they were really good. They don't flatten as they bake like a lot of cookies do; they stay dense and round, which was a nice change of pace.

Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

Directions
1. In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, flour, oats, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute or just until smooth. Stir in nuts and chocolate chunks.


2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on wire racks or until firm on baking sheets, then remove to racks and cool completely.

Source: Duncan Hines Cake Mix Magic