Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect marriage between two favorite cookies - chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies. They have the perfect texture of oatmeal cookies and are loaded with yummy chocolate chips and toasted pecan pieces.
This recipe was adapted from King Arthur's 2015 recipe of the year. The only things that I did differently were to (1) reduce the chocolate chips from 3 cups to 2 cups; (2) add a cup of toasted pecan pieces; and (3) alter the steps to make the dough a bit. To me, toasted pecans are a necessity in most cookies!
For a variation on this awesome recipe, check out the Neiman Marcus recipe. The cookies are outstanding!
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
With those changes, I used the following ingredients: Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, one egg and one egg yolk, vanilla extract, Kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder, all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, toasted pecans and semisweet chocolate chips. I've also used bittersweet chocolate chips in the past which are equally good.
Making the Dough for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Making the Dough for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal CookiesI started by beating the butter and sugars together on high until the mixture was smooth. This took about a minute.
Next, I added the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Then, I beat the mixture on high for about a minute until everything was combined.
As I always do, I added the salt, baking soda and baking powder to the "wet" mixture rather than sifting them into the flour. I beat the mixture for about 30 seconds to ensure that everything was well combined.
After that, I added the flour. I beat the mixture on low just until the flour was incorporated into the dough. This took about 30 seconds.
Finally, I added the oats, toasted pecans and chocolate chips. I mixed everything together with the wooden spoon until all of the ingredients were well combined.
Ultimately, I dropped the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop. Once I had dropped the dough, I took each piece and rolled it into a ball. This way, the cookies stand a better chance of having a nice round shape.
The Experiment
The ExperimentBefore moving on, let me describe two experiments I did with these delicious cookies.
First, I generally flatten the dough before putting the cookies in the oven. I wondered whether that was really necessary. Therefore, I baked one cookie without flattening it and another one that I flattened to about ½-inch. As you can see from the picture below, it really does make a difference! I tend to like my cookies on the crispy side so flattening the dough works for me. On the other hand, if you prefer a plumper, chewier cookie, then you might forgo the flattening.
For the second experiment, I used white parchment paper for one pan of the cookies, and a brownish reusable parchment paper for another pan. Interestingly, the baking time for the cookies on the white parchment paper was about 17 minutes. For the brown parchment paper, the baking time was between 12 and 13 minutes.
This was not the only difference. The cookies on the white parchment paper didn't spread as much as the cookies on the brown parchment paper. Remember that I used an ice cream scoop to ensure that each cookie had approximately the same amount of dough.
I assumed that the difference in the cooking time and spread of the cookies related to a light surface versus a darker surface. The darker surface would absorb more heat resulting in the greater spread and shorter cooking time!
Finishing the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Based on the experiments, my cookie preference was to use my hand to flatten the dough to about ½-inch. Then to bake the cookies on the white parchment paper!
I baked the cookies in a preheated 325° F oven. Because I was using the white parchment paper, I baked the cookies for 16 to 17 minutes or until they were nicely browned around the edges and golden in the middle.
I removed the cookies from the oven and transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with 4 dozen amazing Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. No wonder they were selected as King Arthur's 2015 recipe of the year. Yum!
I first posted the King Arthur 2015 Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies on February 28, 2015. Since then, I've made these delicious cookies a lot. Therefore, I decided that it was time to update the post with new pictures and improved text.
I hope that you like these cookies as much as I do. You might also be interested in trying the following cookie recipes:
- Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
- Red White and Blue Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
- Outstanding Oatmeal Cookies
Happy Baking!
Recipe
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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Adapted from King Arthur site)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 99 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces, 213 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon regular table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (See Tip 1)
- 1 ½ cups plus 3 Tablespoons (8.5 ounces, 241 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (See Tip 2)
- 1 cup (3.5 ounces, 99 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (4 ounces, 113 g) toasted pecan pieces (See Tip 3)
- 2 cups (12 ounces, 340 g) semisweet chocolate chips (See Tip 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (See Tip 5)
- Beat together the butter and sugars on high until smooth, about a minute. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla; beat on high until well incorporated, about a minute.
- Add flour; beat on low just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add the oats, pecan pieces and chocolate chips; stir with spoon or spatula until well incorporated.
- Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2-inches between the cookies. (See Tip 6)
- Bake at 325° F for 12 to 17 minutes, or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges and a light golden brown in the center. (See Tip 7)
- Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen cookies. (See Tip 8)
Tips/Notes
- Make sure that your baking powder is still fresh. If it's not, the baking powder will not work as a proper leavening agent. As an aside, baking soda aids in browning.
- When making cookies or baked goods containing flour, it's always a good idea to weigh the flour. The reason is that one cup of flour can range in weight from 4 ounces to 6 ounces. Personally, my rule of thumb is that 1 cup equals 5 ounces. However, the King Arthur site uses 1 cup weighing 4.25 ounces. If you want your baked goods to turn out perfectly every time, weigh the ingredients, including sugars!
- I always toast nuts before adding them to baked goods. The reason is that toasting brings out incredible flavors in the nuts. If you're not convinced, do a side-by-side taste test of toasted nuts and untoasted nuts. I bake pecans in a preheated 350° F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure that they don't over-toast.
- May also use bittersweet chocolate chips for a less sweet cookie.
- I prefer to use rimmed half sheet pans with white parchment paper. If you use a light surface, the cookies will spread less and take a bit longer to cook. On the other hand, if you use a dark surface, the cookies will spread more and cook more quickly.
- Given the size of the half sheet pan that I use, I partition the dough into 4 rows with 3 cookies in each row. In addition, I roll the dropped cookies into a ball and flatten the balls to about ½-inch with my damp hands.
- The cooking time depends on whether you use a light surface (longer cooking time) or a dark surface (shorter cooking time). It also depends on your specific oven. Watch the cookies carefully because they go from not done to done very quickly.
- Rather than baking all of the cookies at one time, you can freeze what you want to use later for up to 3 months. To freeze, drop the cookies onto a surface and roll into a ball. Freeze individual cookie balls; when frozen transfer to a freezer safe container (I use a gallon freezer Ziploc bag). Add several minutes to the baking time if you bake the frozen cookies.
Christina says
This is by far the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe I've found and has become my go-to recipe any time I want cookies or want to share cookies with others. I've swapped the pecans for raisins with grrat results. These cookies don't last more than a couple days in our house before they're completely gobbled up. Thank you so much!
Chula King says
Christina,
I'm so pleased that you liked the cookies. They are one of my favorites!
Chula
Vivianne Grabinski says
Are we to assume the salt. Baking soda and powder are mixed into the flour mixture?
Can dark brown sugar be used instead of light brown?
Chula King says
Through the years, I've adopted the practice of beating the salt, baking powder and baking soda with the "wet" ingredients. This way, I'm sure that they are well mixed. However, the traditional way is to whisk the salt, baking powder and baking soda with the flour. You can certainly follow the traditional way.
You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar.
Chula