Whole Wheat Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi there! We're excited to be back on the blog! It's been a busy past few weeks filled with tests, papers, a surprise trip home for Halloween, and of course some fun outings around the Boston area. Mary and I are so surprised at how quickly this semester has been flying by, and are trying to soak in every last moment of New England fall before we head home for Thanksgiving. 

While we love taking advantage of seasonal fall flavors, lately we have both been wanting to take a break from the "pumpkin craze" and save our appetites for our famous homemade pumpkin pie we make each Thanksgiving. Enter these Whole Wheat Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, a new twist on one of our favorite classic sweets. 

Over the years, our family has tried countless oatmeal cookie recipes, and has never seemed to come up with a recipe we use time and time again. Whether the cookies are too flat, too crispy, too dry, or just one-note, we have never been able to find a family favorite. When we came across this quick and easy recipe, we jumped on the opportunity to continue the quest for a family favorite. We liked the substitution of whole wheat flour in place of white, and were intrigued by the direction to toast the oats for about 7-10 minutes before mixing them into the dough. 

After making a few small changes to the recipe, including a reduction in the amount of chocolate chips, (I like my oatmeal cookies with chips but Mary doesn't) these cookies certainly didn't turn out one-note. The nutty flavor created from the toasted oats and whole wheat flour takes the classic cookie to the next level, and we were most surprised by the fact they didn't turn out flat or overly crispy. We might just have a winner for the new family favorite, and we're already looking forward to making these for our family to see if they agree!

Whole Wheat Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (we used Trader Joe's)
• 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (our favorite is Nielsen-Massey)
• 1/2-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (we used Ghirardelli)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Spread the oats evenly on an ungreased baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 7-10 minutes, stirring once. When ready, the oats will turn light brown and have a nutty aroma. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in the toasted oats and chocolate chips.
5. Roll cookie dough into tablespoon size balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

We hope you enjoy this recipe! Stay tuned for some fun Two Spoonfuls holiday posts, we're excited!