These excellent cookies come from King Arthur’s Test Kitchen and were crowned the winner of their 2015 recipe of the year. They described the cookies as being “soft and chewy packed with chips.” Though I won’t turn down a soft and chewy homemade cookie, a crispy cookie is my favorite. It was the “packed with chips” that convinced me to try this recipe. I’m not sure why my cookies turned out crispy but I was thrilled with the outcome. They are crispy throughout (not just the edges) and not too thick or too thin. With that said, they are my new favorite cookie.
The original recipe calls for a small amount of oats. I tested a few batches using old fashioned rolled oats and quick cooking oats and found that the latter produced a chocolate chip cookie in which the oatmeal was barely detectable. If you prefer the oatmeal to be more pronounced, use old fashioned oats.
There is no shortage of chocolate chips in this recipe. That’s what makes these cookies so good.
A quick chill in the refrigerator or freezer helps to firm up the dough which makes it much easier to portion out.
Allow the cookies to set on the sheet pan for a few minutes once they are out of the oven before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cooled, wrap and give some to your family and neighbors. I keep a few stashed in the freezer for an after dinner snack, sometimes eating them before they have time to defrost.
Crispy throughout with lots of chocolate = the perfect cookie.
Adapted from King Arthur Baking Company
Ingredients
8 tablespoons (113g) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for lactose free cookies, or unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (107g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (120g) unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur recommended)
1/2 cup (45g) quick cooking or old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (scant if using Earth Balance Buttery Sticks) kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (255g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to the butter mixture. Mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix briefly. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up or place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- For medium sized cookies, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon onto cookie sheet (12 balls fit nicely on a cookie sheet allowing for some spreading as cookies bakes).
- Bake cookies for 13-16 minutes, until they are light golden brown, with slightly darker edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes or until they are set enough to handle. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Continue baking with the remaining dough alternating with cooled cookie sheets.
Notes
- Cookies may be frozen for a few months.