Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s nothing more classic American that a chocolate chip cookie. Like many of you I’ve baked several varieties and have eaten even more. Hands down…this recipe has been our family favorite for over 30 years. I encourage you to give this version a try. Your family will love you for it.
Don’t let the title “oatmeal” fool you. The traditional oatmeal cookie uses whole oats. What makes this version special is you actually take whole oats and grind them in your food processor into a crumbly powder. That oatmeal powder combined with flour and the other classic ingredients makes for a super tender crumb.
What’s also a bit different is that you chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping out and baking. Chilling dough that has butter in it helps the butter to firm up. When cold butter hits a hot oven the liquid in the butter expands and forms steam. This is the same concept bakers use when making the perfect buttery biscuit…it gives it a fluffy, airy texture.
Some fancy pastry kitchens have big refrigerators where they can actual form the cookies on sheets, then chill the entire sheet pan before baking. But I just chill the dough in the mixing bowl first. Then use my handy dandy scooper and portion out balls of dough that make uniformly sized cookies.
This makes 3-4 dozen cookies. They make great gifts and also freeze well to enjoy for about 4 weeks more.
Cheers to a classic cookie with a few special twists!
Oatmeal-Pecan-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
- 2.5 cups oatmeal (measure first then grind in food processor)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chips
- 1.25 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Cream butter with dark brown and white sugar in stand mixer on medium for 5 minutes
- Add eggs and vanilla to creamed butter mixer. Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of mixer bowl as needed.
- Place oatmeal in food processor and grind to a fine powder, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda to ground oatmeal. Pulse food processor until all dry ingredients are blended
- Turn stand mixer on low and slowly add the blended flour/oatmeal dry ingredients until well blended. Scrape down sides of mixer bowl as needed.
- With mixer on low, slowly add chocolate chips and chopped pecans until incorporated
- Place bowl of dough in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes
- Use small scoop to form balls of dough and place on parchment lined baking sheets
- Bake at 375 for 7 minutes
- Remove cookies from oven. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
- Makes 3-4 dozen
