Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I like developing recipes because it teaches me to appreciate process. There is a beauty to be found in the failures, the mistakes, the set backs, and the side tracks. Without these, the final product would not be.
I am not naturally patient; I am not naturally careful. I like to race ahead, get through, and be done. With baking, as with so many good things in life, that’s not usually the way to get to the best result. Slowing down, trying again, reworking, and retracing are important learning tools and are important to learn in themselves.
In my efforts to make great recipes, I often mess up. The first attempt is never right, nor is the second. Sometimes I will get it by the third try, but sometimes it’s not until the fifth or sixth. However, my goal is always to nail down a recipe that is not only delicious and beautiful, but one that can be replicated easily. That’s a recipe I’m proud to put my name on.
And in that effort, I am trying to incorporate more process shots here - pictures of the bakes before they’re finished to give you an idea of the texture, the tools, and the ingredients I use, as well as a sense of the care I take with these recipes.
This particular recipe took three attempts on top of being based upon one of my other recipes that I have made dozens of times. The first batch was too liquid and turned into an amorphous crispy cookie blob in the oven. Even as an experienced baker and a recipe creator, the first attempt is usually disastrous. I’m not ashamed; it’s the only way to get better.
And these cookies are really superb. According to my kids, these salted oatmeal chocolate chunk are their favorite cookies, and I’m pretty satisfied with them myself. A caramel flavored brown butter crumb punctuated with chewy oatmeal and two different intensities of gooey chocolate and topped with a crunchy sprinkle of flaky sea salt all make these cookies irresistible.
Plus they’re pretty darn quick and easy to make. Just follow the instructions, and be prepared to impress!
Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Makes 16 cookies
Equipment:
Small saucepan
2 large baking sheets
Round Circle Cookie Cutter (3-3.5 in. diameter)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cups unsalted butter, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped
3 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
Maldon flaky sea salt (optional for sprinkling)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Sift together the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, and set it aside.
Make the brown butter. Place 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter completely. Then continue cooking, swirling the butter and occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the butter has turned a golden red and smells amazing. Transfer the butter to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for a minute or two.
While the butter is cooling, cube the remaining 1/4 cup of butter. Add this to the browned butter and allow it to melt completely. Once the butter is melted, add the brown and white sugars, and mix until completely combined. Add the eggs, and whisk again until the sugars are dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla, and then gently fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Finally, add the chopped chocolate and chocolate chips and mix again.
Divide the dough into 16 balls, each about 3 TBS. Place them evenly on the two cookie sheets (8 cookies per sheet). These cookies spread a lot while baking, so you can even bake them on three sheets instead if you have them.
Bake one pan of cookies at a time for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and the edges are golden. Remove the cookies from the oven when they are done, and immediately slam the pan once or twice on the counter to even out the cookies. For perfect circular cookies, use a round cookie cutter to immediately shape the cookies by gently sliding each cookie around inside the cutter in a circular motion. Then top the cookies with a sprinkling of flaky salt.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store the cookies covered at room temperature for several days.
