My favorite cookie- loaded oatmeal

After that healthy snack post, it's time for the goods... And the good news is, our favorite cookies are somewhat healthy (at least I tell myself that.) A few months ago, Grant and I tried the best oatmeal cookies we'd had at a place in Phoenix. They were really thick, soft, slightly chewy, and had a great cinnamon/ traditional taste. Up until that point, oatmeal cookies had turned out flat and way too crunchy for my liking. I was determined to replicate these in our own home and came up with a recipe after studying a Smitten Kitchen recipe. After tweaking it a lot, I've finally gotten it to a point where I wouldn't change a thing- they are our favorite! I found that the key to a soft, thick cookie is to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking so they retain their shape and fabulous texture.

The dough. is. so. so. good. With oats and whole wheat flour (fiber), macadamia nuts, brown sugar (no white) dried cherries or cranberries, coconut, and white or dark chocolate chips (anti-oxidants), you can enjoy them with a little less guilt (okay, they have a lot of butter, but at least it's natural fat)! You can add or omit any of the add-in's as you like- add walnuts instead of macadamia, etc. However, we like them just the way they are!

The LaBarbera's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

(awesome name, I know, very original- originally outlined from this recipe but with major ingredient changes and additions)

Makes about 14 cookies, depending on the size you scoop

Ingredients

1/2 cup ( or 1 stick) + 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (not melted)

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour+ 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I love King Arthur)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4- 1/2 teaspoon salt- (depending on if you like more salt in cookies)

1 1/3 cups quick oats (essential for softness)

Optional: 1/2 cup sweetened coconut- I like it with and without but have made it more recently without, just increasing the oats to 1 1/2 cups.

1/8-1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/3 cup crushed macadamia nuts

2/3- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and/or dark, depending on your taste, I only use Guittard (better melting than Nestle in my opinion, especially for the white chocolate)

A few notes: Baking is science, and I had to fiddle with this quite a bit with the ratio's, so I can't guarantee anything except the recipe as written. The key to this recipe is really the last step- chilling the scooped dough, so don't skip this part! When I originally made these with only white flour, they were a tad bit thicker, but I prefer the whole wheat, as they taste just as delicious. Grant doesn't like chocolate chips, so I make about a dozen with white chocolate and add about 1/3 cup semisweet chips with the last of the batter for about 5 cookies for me. That way I get white and dark- I think they are best this way :)

Directions

Grab a large bowl or KitchenAid (my preference) and cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat and white flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this into the creamed butter/sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in the quick oats, coconut(I've been omitting this lately), macadamia nuts, dried cranberries and/or cherries, and white and/or semisweet chocolate chips.

Line a cookie sheet with a baking mat if available, or parchment paper. Take an ice cream scoop and generously scoop up the dough, forming it into a round ball with your fingers- the thicker you scoop it, the thicker the cookie. This dough does not spread much while baking, so you can place them fairly close, as pictured.

Chill for about 20-25 minutes. This is the most important step- Don't skip it!!! This is the key for a thick, chewy cookie :). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the cookies chill. After chilling, you can stick them in a freezer bag for future baking or bake them straight away.

Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes (this can vary depending on your oven- I find that with convection baking, I have them in for about 12 minutes). Watch closely and remove them from the oven when they are just barely golden around the edges and the top still looks a little bit soft. Try not to overbake, as they will flatten more. I let them sit for about a minute and scoop them onto a serving plate to cool. Enjoy warm, they are best on the same day with a big glass of milk, and they go fast!

On a side note, aren't the colors of a fall harvest beautiful? I'm hoping to oil paint something like this to practice.