The Baking Bible

Luxury Oatmeal Cookies from The Baking Bible

Makes thirty-six 3-inch cookies

What makes this cookie really special is that instead of adding rolled oats and nuts to the dough, I make my own granola. The oats and nuts get tossed with just enough brown sugar and maple syrup to sweeten them lightly and then they are baked at a very low temperature to crisp and infuse them with the sweetener and fully bring out their flavor. The granola recipe, a gift from my multi-talented friend and fellow cookbook author Caitlin Williams Freeman of San Francisco MOMA and Blue Bottle Coffee, also contains cinnamon and vanilla, and any left over is excellent sprinkled over yogurt. These cookies are crisp and chewy and soften slightly on storage.

Oven Temperature | 225°F/107°C for the granola; 375°F/190°C for the cookies

Baking Time | 20 to 22 minutes for the granola; 12 to 15 minutes for the cookies for each of three batches

Special Equipment | One 17¼ by 12¼ by 1 inch half sheet pan | Two 15 by 12 inch cookie sheets, no preparation needed or lined with parchment

Granola (makes about 5 cups)

Preheat the oven | Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 225°F/107°C.

Make the granola | In a large bowl, toss together the oats, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour on the maple syrup, oil, and vanilla and toss to coat the oat mixture thoroughly. Spread the mixture evenly on the half sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the pan halfway around after the first 10 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. You will need 4 cups/14.8 ounces/420 grams of granola for the cookie dough.

Raise the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C.

Granola Ingredients

Cookie Dough

Make the cookie dough | In a large bowl, toss together the granola, raisins, and chocolate chips. Store any extra granola, in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 months.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another small bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

Food processor method | In a food processor, process the brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

With the motor off, add the egg mixture. Process just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Pulse just until all of the flour disappears.

Stand mixer method | In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, on low speed, beat the brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended. Add the butter and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on, add the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until all of the flour disappears.

Combine the cookie dough and granola and chill | With a wooden spatula or your hands, mix the dough into the granola until evenly incorporated. The dough will be sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Divide the dough into thirds, about 17.8 ounces/504 grams each. Wrap 2 of the pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate them while rolling the first piece.

Roll the dough into balls | Scoop out 12 pieces of dough (2 level tablespoons/1.5 ounces/42 grams each). Roll each piece of dough between the palms of your floured hands into a 1¾ inch ball. Set the dough balls a minimum of 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and press them down to about 2 inches wide by ¾ inch high.

Bake the cookie | Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 6 to 9 minutes. The cookies should be brown around the edges, just begin to brown on the tops, and still feel slightly soft when pressed lightly with a fingertip.

Cool the cookies | Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 1 minute so that they will be firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Use a pancake turner to lift the cookies onto another wire rack. They will firm up as they cool and are most delicious when eaten slightly warm. While each batch of cookies is baking, shape the dough for the next batch.

Store | Airtight: room temperature, 2 weeks; refrigerated, 1 month; frozen, 3 months.

Note | Use your favorite chocolate. Recommendations are Ghirardelli bittersweet chips 60%, Scharffen Berger bittersweet chunks 61%, or Valrhona dark chocolate baking pearls 55%.

Highlights for Success

The dough must rest for a minimum of 30 minutes after mixing for the oats to soften and the moisture to distribute evenly. Without this resting period, the oats would be harder and the moisture in the dough would cause it to spread more.

Cookie Dough Ingredients