Tulips in my kitchen, February 2013
I don’t post a lot of recipes. I’m not a gourmet cook. I don’t take gorgeous food photos.
But I do make a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
I wanted to share it with you. Bake these in honor of Valentine’s Day being past, an “Alaskan” storm headed our way, and cozy February afternoons when you want your house to smell good.
This cookie is divinely chewy & substantial. If you like a thin, crisp cookie, this is not the recipe for you. But if you like something chewy and seriously oatey, you will like this cookie. Swear on my copy of The New Best Recipe, by Cook’s Illustrated. Which, coincidentally, is where this recipe comes from.
And because warm cookies are the most divine, I usually only bake the ones we’re about to eat. The rest of the dough stays in my fridge or my freezer, so homemade can be spur of the moment.
Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, from The New Best Recipe
1.5 c flour
0.5 t baking powder
0.5 t salt
16 T (2 sticks) butter, softened but still cool – the recipe calls for unsalted, but I’ve used either & the recipe still turned out great. You can reduce the salt if you use salted butter, but don’t worry about it if you forget.
Splash of vanilla – the recipe doesn’t call for it, but I still like to add it. Taking a whif of vanilla makes me feel like I’m really baking, know what I mean?
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar – if you prefer a less sweet cookie, you can reduce this to 3/4 c of sugar. I often do, as the chocolate chips add their own sweetness.
2 large eggs
3 c old-fashioned rolled oats
chocolate chips to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or nonstick cooking mat, or spray with cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
3. By hand or with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. *I do not have a stand mixer. I use a handheld electric mixer for this and it works fine.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.
5. Roll dough into balls and place on lined baking sheet. The recipe call for large cookies (2-inch balls). I’ve made them smaller, and they’re still great.
6. Bake until the cookie edges turn golden brown. Do not overbake. The edges should be browned, but the rest of the cookie should be very light in color. 22-25 minutes for large-size cookies. Start checking at 12-15 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Or directly into your mouth.
