I couldn’t stay away. I know, right? Two posts, in less than two weeks. I’d better pace myself. It’s just that our good friends Chris and Jodi were having a little soiree to say goodbye to the summer and give Chris a nice send-off before he joins me in the black hole of law school. So, you know, I had to make some sweets to mark the occasion.

My first thought was to do some type of cookie, either of the drop or bar variety, but what kind? I pored through my baking cookbooks, hoping that something would pop out at me, but nothing did. Fig and pecan hermit bar cookies? Peanut butter chocolate chip drop cookies? Oatmeal cookies? They all sounded delectable, but I couldn’t decide. I asked Kenan what he thought, and he suggested that I go with some spiced oatmeal cookies from chocolate bar. That sounded nice, but as usual, I ignored the feeling that I should just trust Kenan, so I wrote Jodi giving her some options and asking for a second opinion. Unsurprisingly, she and Chris both liked the chocolate bar option best, so I went with those guys.

I realized, after deciding to go with these oatmeal suckers, that they were not dissimilar to some other cookies I’d made, long ago. But after giving the ingredient list a once-over, I determined that they were different (and delicious-looking!) enough to warrant a go-ahead. That being decided, I got down to bidness.

oatmeal niceties

On the day of the party, I wrangled my ingredients together and stood, once again, in the kitchen, ready to do baking battle. I did my mise en place and then got to it. I sifted the dry ingredients together; I creamed butter and sugars dark brown and granulated until smooth, then added the eggs and vanilla. I mixed in the dry ingredients, then the oats and chocolate, and stuck the whole lot in the refrigerator to chill out.

But here’s the thing: the recipe says to chill the dough for six hours. Six! I was not expecting that. You see, I’m not the best at reading the recipe all the way through before I get started (read: I never do it because it’s deeply boring and I’m very impatient). As such, I didn’t leave myself enough time to do all that chilling. So what I did was stick the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes, to get things nice and cool really fast. Then I moved it to the refrigerator so the dough didn’t get completely frozen and hard to deal with. At any rate, once the dough was sufficiently cool and firm, I heated my oven to 350 degrees. I got some baking sheets out and dropped the dough onto the sheets in little balls. I stuck the baking sheets in the refrigerator to offset the timing mishap, and then, once the oven was hot enough, I stuck the sheets in the oven.

The cookies came out perfectly, if I do say so myself, even despite my failure to follow the directions exactly. They were just slightly crispy on the outside, golden brown on the bottom, and gooey with chocolate on the inside. And they were a huge hit at the party. Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word that people liked them, because we forgot to get any shots of people actually eating the cookies. But I’m sure you can imagine: a bunch of folks in a Brooklyn apartment, talking, laughing, and eating cookies (and other things, too, of course, but none as exciting as cookies). It’s a good image, no?

spiced oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies.

spiced oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies.
(adapted from chocolate bar)

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown and granulated sugars on medium speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and vanilla. Once the eggs and vanilla are incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until light in color and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the sifted ingredients; mix until smooth. If using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the oats and chocolate and, using a wooden spoon, mix the batter until just blended. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least six hours (or chill in the freezer for 30 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator).

When you’re ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop the dough by large tablespoonsful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then place in oven and bake for 13-15 minutes (I would keep it closer to the 13-minute mark, to avoid overcooking). The cookies are done when they are golden brown (darker brown on the edges) and just slightly matte-looking on top. When they are done, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 8 to 10 minutes. After they have cooled, transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Enjoy with a glass of milk and a smile on your face.

photos by the best advice giver in the world, kenan.