Cookies for Cops {With LARGE BATCH Dishpan Cookies}

I once saw a documentary about a beached whale.  A hysterical woman ran up to the camera and said, "I didn't know what to do so I made sandwiches."  As funny as her comment was, I'm exactly like that woman.  Maybe it's my Southern roots.  When someone has a baby you take food.  When there's a death in the family or some other tragedy, you take food.  I'm like Annelle in Steel Magnolias.  If someone I know is suffering, then I look for something in the "freezes beautifully section of my cookbook."  Without getting into a political discussion, in light of what is happening around the country I felt compelled to do something for our police department.  While I live in a good-sized town, it hasn't always been this big.  It's grown a lot since I was a kid.  But it still feels like a small town and we treat each other with good 'ol Oklahoma kindness.  I wasn't sure what to do, so like the woman in the whale documentary I decided to make sandwiches.  Only not sandwiches.  I decided to make cookies.  And when I say I made cookies, I made cookies.  This recipe makes a HUGE batch of cookies.  So many that I'm taking a big platter to our local police department and a big platter to our local sheriff's department.  Now Little Devil's BFF's Dad is a police chief, so I asked if it was alright if I took cookies to the office.  He said yes.  Mr. Devilish Dish is acquainted with the sheriff through golf so I simply called him and told him who I was and that I would like to bring cookies to his office if that was okay with him.  He said sure.  If you aren't up to making something homemade, then use my FREE PRINTABLE SIGNS and take some store-bought cookies.  I saw a Facebook post today where a mother and daughter took a basket full of everything blue (Cool Ranch Doritos, Oreos, etc...) to a police station. Take a card.  Say a prayer.  Let them know you appreciate them.  At the end of the day they are husbands and wives and fathers and mothers.  And right now they need to know my family supports them. 

I didn't know what to do so I made cookies lol.

Golden brown oatmeal cookies full of M&Ms and
chocolate chips!

18 cups of oats.
I told you that you needed a big bowl.

Here's the creamed ingredients.
I have a big mixer.

Tons of cookie dough!

This was only one side of the counter.
I have a lot of cookie sheets.

I found these cute blue platters at Dollar Tree.

And I made a little sign to attach to the cookies.

Don't they look yummy?
I wish I could have had just blue M&Ms.

All ready to go!

I've included the FREE PRINTABLE signs
for you to use too.

Click on the image to enlarge.
Right click and save to your computer.
Open with the software of your choice
and print onto cardstock.

Here's a single version of the sign.

This one includes the ingredients in case
there are any food allergies.

These images are my exclusive artwork.
Please be courteous when using these printables
and remember they are for personal use only.

Be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible.
-Dalai Lama

Cookies for Cops (LARGE BATCH Dishpan Cookies)
*NOTE: This recipe makes approximately 20 DOZEN cookies.  You could easily halve the recipe and still have tons to share.  You'll need a very large bowl, dishpan or large soup pot to mix them.

2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks margarine, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
12 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons white corn syrup
1 (3-pound) jar peanut butter
8 teaspoons baking soda
18 cups old-fashioned oats
1 (16 ounce) package chocolate chips (I used a variety of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate chips)
1 (16 ounce) package plain M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  If you have a large stand mixer, you can cream the first few ingredients in it.  (My mixer is 7 quarts and it was pretty full.)  Cream together the brown sugar and granulated sugar with the softened margarine and butter.  Add the eggs.  Combine until creamy.  Add the vanilla and corn syrup.  Add all of the peanut butter and mix until it is very creamy.  (If you're doing this by hand you'll need some elbow grease.)  Finally add in the baking soda until well combined.  Place the oats in a very large bowl.  Add the creamed mixture and stir really well until combined.  The dough will be pretty sticky.  Finally mix in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.  Place tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto greased cookie sheets.  (Grease them well because they tend to stick a tiny bit where the M&Ms melt to the pan.) Flatten slightly. Bake approximately 10-12 minutes until puffy and golden.  (They will sink a little as they cool.)  Cool on the pan at least 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Prep Time:  Approximately 20 minutes     Bake Time:  Approximately 12 minutes (times 20 pans full)

NOTE-  Any negative, derogatory or political comments left on this post will be deleted.  If you don't want to make Cookies for Cops, then feel free to skip this post and check out my Southwestern Pasta Salad.  Remember what Thumper says: