Great Big Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I'm pretty picky about cookies.  I mean, if something is going to have that much sugar and butter in it, it have better be worth the calories.  I'm a thoughtful calorie consumer, what can I say?  Of all of the cookies in the world, chocolate chip cookies have remained a lifelong favorite of mine, although there are just so many ways that they can go wrong.  (The following will probably offend some -- please know that this is my interpretation of the perfect cookie.  And I respect your right to differ.  Sort of.)


In a chocolate chip cookie, I want it to be thin, but not so thin that it flops before I can bite into it.  There should be no puff.  It must have a bit of chew, and the tiniest bit of crunch.  They should always be made with dark brown sugar, or at least a splash of molasses to bump up the flavor -- but not enough to make it taste like it should be a spice cookie.  It mustn't have too many chocolate chips in it -- if the batter is made properly, it should have enough flavor to stand up on it's own, so that even a bite without the chips is heaven on the tastebuds.  I also prefer the chips to be dark, although semi-sweet is an OK compromise if need be.  Also, I probably don't even need to mention it, but for real -- the chocolate needs to be good chocolate.  Or at least something other than Hershey.  Because that's just wrong, and tasteless, and probably not even chocolate.  (Now I've really offended someone.)


One day I found such a recipe, and I've been making it ever since.  




I can no longer find the link to it, so I'm posting it here with my deepest thanks to the anonymous person who came up with it in the first place.  These cookies have a good amount of oatmeal in them, but they are not at all a "typical" oatmeal cookie.  They are not soft and fat and faintly spiced.  (I happen to hate oatmeal cookies, actually.  Although the dough? I'll eat it by the spoonful!)  These are like a classic chocolate chip cookie...but even better, because the chewiness of the oatmeal gives them an extra texture that is just perfection itself.  Or at least our family thinks so.  


These are the cookies that I make for my children on their first day of school as a welcome-home snack.  These are the cookies I crave when I'm feeling like having a naughty little snack that doesn't take too much work.  This is comfort food in a palm-sized serving.  This is butter, sugar and chocolate, married together into something beautiful.





But I'm not super opinionated or anything.  Nope.  Not me.  I would never, ever force my views on anyone.  But I would force-feed them one of these cookies.  Nicely, and with great respect to their feelings.  Cause that's the kind of girl I am.

Great Big Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Source: anonymous (my deepest thanks, you amazing person who I do not know!!)

Adapted slightly by Faith


Yield: depends on how big you scoop them, but this is a sizable batch, so I bake what I need/want that day, then scoop the rest onto a wax-lined cookie sheet, freeze them, then pop them off into a Ziploc bag for future instant warm-cookie-happiness.  The dough keeps for at least 2 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (or just add by eye until you think it's enough -- I pretty much never measure, so this is actually a guess, but I don't add the entire 12 oz bag)

2 cups old fashioned oats (important NOT to use quick oats, which do not add enough texture -- although if it's all you've got, use it!  And then try old fashioned oats next time.)

Let's make some cookies!
Preheat oven to 350F.  (Because as soon as this dough comes together, you're going to want to get it baked and in your face as soon as possible.)


Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until creamy. 


Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 


Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a sifter, and sift into the butter mixture.


Add chocolate chips and oats.  Taste the dough.  Several times.  Set aside some of the dough to eat as a snack later.  (What?!!  Why are you looking at me like that?  You wouldn't want to ruin ALL of the dough by baking it now, would you?!)   


Take two large spoons and scoop great big spoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or ungreased baking sheets.  But then you'd have to wash them, and who wants to do that?). 


Bake in oven for 8 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden and just barely baked through.  (If you are baking more than one pan at a time, switch the pans top to bottom and rotate half-way through baking for even baking/browning.)  


Slide the parchment paper with cookies off of baking sheets and onto cooling racks and allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes, or until you can easily slip them off with a spatula.  Place them on the cooling rack to finish setting up...or eat them immediately.  Actually, screw the whole "let it cool" part.  Just eat them, right now, standing over the oven to catch the cookie crumbles.  (But don't come to me crying if you burn your tongue.  It probably wasn't a good idea to start with, but sometimes that just can't be helped.  You understand.)

Enjoy!