Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [22]
CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Of all our cookies, these look most like packaged, store-bought chocolate chip cookies. They’re crunchy on the outside but cakey inside, thanks to the oatmeal and increased baking soda. One thing we guarantee: these are loaded with more chips than any store-bought cookie you’ve had in a long time.
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN
21/4 cups rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing the baking sheets
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (4 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter two large baking sheets; set aside. Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined; set aside.
2. Beat the butter and shortening in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until softened and somewhat creamy, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue beating until airy, pale yellowy-brown, but still a little grainy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla all at once.
3. Turn the mixer off, pour in the oat and flour mixture, then beat at very low speed just until incorporated. The dough should be cohesive but crumbly. Remove the beaters, scrape any dough on them back into the batter, and stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until distributed throughout.
4. Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 11/2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a flatware spoon—don’t make an indentation or let the sides crack; rather, gently push down, just to take the roundness off the tops.
5. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the sheets back to front and top to bottom. Continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned but still soft to the touch. Cool for 3 minutes on the sheets, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then butter them again to make additional batches.
Recommended storage
4 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
Customize It!
Substitute an equivalent amount of M&M’s, mint chocolate chips. Reese’s Pieces, or white chocolate chips for the semisweet chocolate chips.
Reduce the chocolate chips to 2 cups and add 1 cup of any of the following with the remaining chocolate chips: butterscotch chips; chopped dried pears; chopped hazelnuts, pecans, or walnuts; dried cherries; dried cranberries; finely chopped dried apricots; peanut butter chips; or raisins.
Add one of the following with the vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon banana extract, 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, 1 teaspoon maple extract, or 1 teaspoon rum extract.
CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Loaded with chocolate, these dense little cookies are just short of divine. For chocoholics, they may be pure heaven.
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN COOKIES
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
14 tablespoons (1 stick plus 6 tablespoons) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
11/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (preferably), or semisweet chocolate chips
1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl until uniformly colored; set aside.
2. Place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 2 inches of simmering water. If you don’t have a double boiler, place the chocolate in a bowl that fits snugly over a medium saucepan with about the same