Chocolate Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

On a pretty regular basis, I think to myself, "I have some really fantastic friends.  I'm a lucky girl."  Not to be a sap or anything, but it's true--I know some wonderful people.  When one of those wonderful people, Ms. Sarah Gregory, helped me out after making a rather goofy mistake, I decided that I would pay her back the best way I knew how: cooking.

Specifically, Sarah requested that I make her an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe that I made her the first time we met, but with one major change: instead of raisins, Sarah wanted chocolate chips.  The result? A cookie that couldn't get any better--a melt in your mouth chocolatey, nutty, oaty experience that seems more like a meal than a delicious snack.  Make this recipe with the original raisins it calls for, OR with chocolate chips.

Chocolate Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
As always, this recipe pays tribute to the one and only Foodblogtress, Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes.  For her original version of this recipe, please see here.  I've adjusted some of her measurements and switched out the raisins for chocolate chips, but otherwise, this cookie is pretty much the same as the one she has listed from her grandmother.


Ingredients:
* 2 sticks butter, softened
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1 cup regular sugar
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 3 cups rolled oats (not the instant kind)
* 1 1/2 cup raisins, OR chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup pecans, or walnuts (optional)
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 large eggs, beaten


1.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease cookie sheet(s) with butter and set aside.

2.) In a standing mixer, combine butter (cut into 1 inch cubes and softened) and sugars.  Beat until fluffy.

3.) Add eggs one at a time.

4.) Add vanilla and almond extract, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix to combine.

5.) Measure 3 cups rolled oats and add them to the batter slowly.

6.) Add 1 1/2 cups flour.  Mix to integrate; scrape down sides to fully combine.

7.) Add 1 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips.

8.) Add 1/2 cup pecans, or walnuts and mix to fully integrate.  Scrape down sides for any leftover dry ingredients and mix one last time.  Remove mixing paddle and bowl from mixer.

9.) Now, begin to dish out your cookies.  The best technique when making cookies of any kind is to use an ice cream scoop as your dough dispenser.  So, scoop out cookie dough evenly and in perfectly spaced dough balls the same way you would ice cream.

10.) Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  (NOTE: a key tip when making this recipe is that at about 10 minutes, the cookies will be thoroughly cooked, but decently chewy.  Any longer will increase the crispiness of the cookie and run the risk of burning.  Thus, if you prefer crispier cookies, then by all means add a minute or two to the cooking time, but no longer!)

11.) Try not to eat them before transferring them to the plate!

12.) Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool.  Makes about 3 batches at 12 cookies each (36 cookies).  Enjoy!

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Oatmeal with Fruit & Walnuts

Practically every morning, I make myself a bowl of oatmeal.  I love oatmeal--it's so much heftier than a regular bowl of cereal and you can really customize how you prepare it.  What do you mean? Customize oatmeal? Isn't oatmeal a brown blob of gross that was only eaten by pilgrims and prairie people before we had processed sugary treats like Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms? Well, no.  Actually, it's a complex carb that is GOOD for you, keeps you fuller longer and is indeed, quite tasty, if you know how to prepare it correctly.  Like all dishes in cooking, oatmeal can be clearly delicious with the right ingredients, combinations, and preparational techniques.

Knowing how to make oatmeal can be a challenge, however--do you make it with milk? water? what is the proper oats to liquid ratio? how long do you cook it? is it supposed to be milky like cream of wheat? 

For me, these answers are simple: always prepare oatmeal with water, but feel free to add splashes of milk to the oats in the final dish; the ratio is usually 2:1 (1 cup water to one half cup oats; or 2 cups water to 1 cup oats), and the consistency should never be milky unless you add some milk during the cooking process.  Also, I need to point out I'm talking about steel-cut oats, or regular oats here, not that instant crap that is pre-sugared, processed, etc.

Essentially, what this recipe calls you to do is very simple (heat up water, cook the oats, etc.), and then it makes a judgment call on what I like to add to the oats--fruits and nuts, brown sugar, and spices.  However, you can practically substitute anything for the fruit and nut combo here that you like, you'll just have to tweak the recipe to your preferences.  I've known people to add cocoa powder when cooking oatmeal ("chocolate oatmeal") and even to make the dish into a kind of loaf and bake it in the oven.  However you prepare oatmeal, the right ingredients and techniques will always be clearly delicious!

Oatmeal with Fruit & Walnuts
You can really add any fruit or nut here.  My recipe calls for bananas and walnuts, but apples, craisins, raisins, berries (blueberries! raspberries! blackberries!) as well as pecans and almonds can all be substituted.

*1 cup water
*1/2 cup steel cut oats
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
*1 teaspoon nutmeg
*1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1 banana, cut into circular pieces, optional
*1/4 cup walnuts, optional
*1 teaspoon vanilla/almond extract, optional

1.) Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 1/2 cup steel cut oats.  Cook for one minute, stirring occassionally, and remove from heat.
2.) Now, fix the oatmeal with your favorite ingredients: add brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, nuts, and fruit.  Stir to integrate.
3.) Pour into a bowl and splash with milk (optional).  Serve immediately and enjoy!

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