Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few days ago I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies.  Typically when I make chocolate chip cookies I use either Nestle’s Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe or Baking Illustrated’s Thick & Chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I love both of those recipes, but since I’m expecting, I wanted to try a recipe that was a little bit healthier, so I made these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies instead.  In reality, they are probably not that much better for you (cookies are cookies after all!) but the fact that there is quite a bit of oatmeal in them does make me feel better about indulging in them.  :)

These cookies are so delicious – I love the chewy texture and the oatmeal flavor really comes through in them.  The secret to these cookies is that the oats are finely ground into a powder (instead of being left whole) before they are mixed into the batter.  I really like how the oatmeal powder provides the flavor (and health benefits!) of oats but with a much smoother texture than other oatmeal cookies.  I used semisweet chocolate chips in my cookies, but you could also use dark or milk chocolate, or omit the chocolate altogether and just make plain oatmeal cookies.  I hope you find these cookies as irresistible as I do!

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(print recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (add a pinch more for softer cookies)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 12-16 ounces chocolate chips (semisweet, milk, dark chocolate, or a combination – add more or less chocolate depending on your taste)
• 1 ½ cups chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
3. After measuring out the rolled oats, place them in a food processor and process them until they turn to powder.
4. Place all of the dry ingredients (oatmeal powder, flour, salt, baking powder & baking soda) in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix until fully incorporated.  Then add the chocolate and nuts and mix to combine.  Place rounded tablespoon-sized balls of dough on the cookie sheets (a cookie scoop works well for this).
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield:  Approximately 5 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from a family friend

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