There are those days when you want to bite into an oatmeal cookie that’s a little over the top. A superlative chewy cookie with just the right amount of old fashioned rolled oats, nuts, chocolate and fruit. A cookie with deep molasses flavor, light and crisp on the outside and chewy, dense and soft in the center. A cookie of such divine decadence that just one cookie is simply not enough. This may just be the ultimate, outrageous oatmeal cookie.
This is an oatmeal cookie recipe you can claim as your own. Substitute pecans or hazelnuts for the walnuts or dried cranberries for the cherries. Quick oats can be substituted for the old-fashion oats, but they will yield a cookie with slightly less chew. Other than the options be sure to follow the remaining ingredients to the letter. It is the extra moisture found in brown sugar and the combination of baking powder and baking soda that produces a cookie that is thin, light and crisp on the outside, and chewy in the middle. These cookies really spread so be sure to allow a generous 2 to 2 1/2 inches between cookies.
| THE OUTRAGEOUS OATMEAL COOKIE . . . with walnuts, dried cherries and chunks of chocolate | Print |
- 1¼ cups (6¼) ounces) all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 1/12 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups (3¾ oz) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup(4 oz) dried sour cherries or cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped into generous chunks the size of large chocolate chips. Err on the side of large chunks. Small pieces melt quickly and disappear into the cookie mixture.
- 12 tbs (6 oz) unsalted butter soft room temperature
- 1½ cups packed (10½ oz)light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Set your oven rack to middle position of the oven and the temperature to 350F.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In medium sized bowl whisk flour, baking power, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a second bowl stir oats, walnuts, cherries, and chocolate together.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no lumps remain, about 2 or 3 minutes,scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated (about 30 seconds or so) scraping down bowl as needed.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture mixing until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually add oat mixture until just incorporated ( do not over-mix).
- Using a sturdy wooden spoon give dough a final stir by hand to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.
- For these outrageously large cookies work with ¼ cup dough at a time roll in to balls and space them 2½ inches apart on prepared sheets. THESE COOKIES REALLY SPREAD!
- Dampen your fingers and press each ball to 1 inch thickness.
- Follow the instructions carefully for baking the cookies to ensure your cookies are both chewy and crisp.
- Bake cookies for 20 to 22 minutes until medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft. Cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone.
- Half way through baking rotate cookie sheet from front to back.
- Let cookies cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack, and let cookies cool completely before serving.
Pingback: THE OUTRAGEOUS OATMEAL COOKIE . . . WITH CHOCOLATE CHUNKS, NUTS AND DRIED CHERRIES | Bel' Occhio