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Chocolate chip cookies are my go-to “feel productive” project. Whenever I’m spinning my wheels or feeling stuck on an issue, I take a break to pull out flour, butter, sugar and eggs, and get mixing. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, in particular, are my specialty — largely because they’re my husband Nate’s favorite, and because I continually try to trick myself into thinking the oats make them healthier (more fiber or something, right?!) — but I can’t help dabbling with the basic recipe, mixing in whatever’s in the pantry to create new riffs on the classic.
Some of my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip mix-ins:
Cinnamon adds a little spice to the cookie itself. Dried cherries give it a tartness to offset all the sweet. An Oreo stuffed inside creates a gooey, ultra-decadent core. Hershey’s Kisses are a chocoholic’s twist on Peanut Butter Blossoms. By far, though, my favorite spin right now is toasted coconut.
Why toasted coconut?
I had toasted an entire bag of unsweetened coconut flakes to go with a batch of piña colada “nice cream,” a dairy-free dessert. There was plenty leftover after the cookout, so I poured half a cup into my classic oatmeal chocolate chip dough. Jackpot! If you like Samoas, you’ll go crazy for these. (A drizzle of caramel would make them an excellent stand-in for the Girl Scout cookie, actually.)
Sure, baking a batch of cookies won’t solve anything — beyond a raging sugar craving, that is — but there’s something kind of cathartic in all that mixing and stirring. You can zone out, letting your brain sift through whatever’s bothering you … and, in half an hour, be rewarded with a gooey, chocolatey dessert.
Ingredients
- 1/2 unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 c packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk (or water)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 c old-fashioned oats
- 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- First, toast the coconut: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet, baking for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the coconut is a light golden brown. Set aside coconut to cool, and turn up the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Make the cookie dough: In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat sugars and butter until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Slowly beat in egg, milk (or water) and vanilla extract, then gradually add flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Turn off electric mixer and use a silicone spatula to fold in oats, chocolate chips and toasted coconut.
- Drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet, placing each dough ball about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Set aside to cool for at least 7-10 minutes.
