As Spring Break quickly approaches, and study sessions begin to fill every line of your planner, you may start to feel like all of your professors got together to plan out your demise as a student. If the thought hasn’t crossed your mind, then I personally commend you for your obvious indestructible nature.

Snacking is a study ritual everyone indulges in. Whether it’s for a quick boost of energy between physics problems, or to calm cravings between meals, it’s easy to take a trip to Chick-fil-A or raid your roommates snack drawer. However, other options abound. Try reducing stress by spending a few minutes in the kitchen.

According to About.com baking is a common stress reliever, due to the comfortable aromas created when baking your favorite treats such as cookies, cakes and pies.

Preparing a homemade batch of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Biggies could be the perfect solution to your late night study session cravings. By setting aside 15 minutes of your time, you could create a little piece of peanut butter heaven and divert your attention to something other than midterms.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Biggies – (Recipe courtesy of business student, Austin McCarter)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cups peanut butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Beat together butter, sugars and peanut butter until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and chocolate chips; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

If you don’t have time to bake, but are craving a homemade snack, try this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz.) package devil’s food cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.