I have been wanting to create an oatmeal cookie for a while, and am very excited about how this recipe turned out. These are the perfect way to celebrate fall flavors when you aren't quite in the mood for something with apple or pumpkin. The cookie itself is bursting with brown butter and cinnamon flavor and the texture is incredible.
One thing I often find with oatmeal cookies, other than the fact that they typically have raisins, is that they are quite dry. You may notice that this recipe has a slightly smaller amount of oats as compared to other recipes out there. There is still that classic oat texture you look for in an oatmeal cookie, but I found that this ratio gave me exactly what I was looking for while maintaining the right chewy and moist texture.
The combination of brown butter and cinnamon is one that seems to always marry well. I loved it a lot in my pumpkin brown butter bars and was excited to try it again here. Not only does the flavor taste incredible but the texture is spot on. The cookie gets its moisture both from the butter as well as some added oil and an extra egg yolk. This triple hit gives us a beautifully chewy cookie that fits so well with the fall forward flavors.
I baked these two ways and I share guidance for both below. The first was baked right after chilling for two hours. The second was after freezing the scooped dough overnight. They both tasted incredible but the chilled dough was a slightly thinner and larger cookie, and the frozen dough led to a thicker cookie that was a little smaller in diameter. Either way you bake them, you'll get a great end result. Because of their soft texture, they do also stay fresh a bit longer than your typical cookie. I do still recommend saving some or all of your dough if you don't plan to enjoy your cookies within a few days, and then you can bake your ready to go dough at any time from the freezer. Because they do stay fresh for longer though, they are a great bake ahead cookie.
Ingredients:
1 stick (8 tablespoons, half cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon oil (I recommend using vegetable or canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Total time: 3 hours including chill time
Prep time: About 15 minutes
Bake time: 10-12 minutes
Cooking instructions:
First, brown your butter. Place your butter into a pot or pan (I recommend using a nonstick heavy bottomed pan) on low to medium heat. After it melts, you'll hear it begin to crackle. Stir the melted butter and watch it carefully as it can burn easily. You'll start to smell a nutty aroma (you'll know it when it happens). Once you see the color turn to a light brown or amber, remove your pan from the heat and transfer your butter and all of the brown bits at the bottom into a large, heat proof bowl.
Add your brown and granulated sugar to your browned butter. Stir together to help further cool your butter and to fully combine your sugar into the butter. Next, mix in your vanilla extract and oil until everything is fully mixed together.
Check that your mixture isn't hot (it's okay if it's warm). If it's still too hot, you can place it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help speed up the cooling process. Add in your egg and mix it fully into your butter and sugar mixture. Then add your extra egg yolk and continue mixing. This should thicken your mixture and keep going until you see no more streaks of egg.
Next, add in your dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir carefully and slowly to combine, being careful to not overmix once you've added in your dry ingredients. Cover your cookie dough and place it in the fridge to chill for two hours.
Note that as you scoop your dough, you have the option to bake immediately after your two hour chill period or you can freeze your scooped dough and bake at a later time. If you want to bake right away after your two hour chill period, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you want to freeze your dough and bake later, or are looking for a thicker cookie, check out my guidance just above the carb and serving info.
Line a cookie sheet (or two if you plan to bake now) with parchment paper. Remove the dough from your fridge and use a cookie scoop to portion out your dough (it should make about 10 cookies at about 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons each) and place the portioned dough onto your lined cookie sheet.
If you plan to bake now, once your dough is spaced out on your cookie sheets, bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Allow your cookies to cool and enjoy! They taste incredible when warm, but will also stay fresh for about 4 days in an airtight container once fully cooled.
If you chose to save some or all of your scooped dough to freeze, keep a cookie sheet with the remaining scooped dough in the freezer for 12-24 hours. Once fully frozen, you can transfer your dough into a plastic bag or airtight container and bake any time. From frozen, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and bake for 13-15 minutes.
Carb and serving info:
Servings: 10 cookies
Carbs per serving: 28
Carbs for full recipe: 275
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.