Chocolate-Walnut-Oatmeal Freezer Cookies

Early last week, a note arrived from the post office that they had tried to deliver a parcel, but I wasn't home. I was curious since I wasn't expecting any packages and then I started to see tweets saying that people had received copies of Lucy's book Made in America. I knew immediately that is what the "parcel" was and I couldn't wait to pick it up. I immediately came home and tried to figure out what I would be able to make this past weekend. The book is a celebration of comfort food from America's best chefs. The book is broken down into breakfast and brunch, sandwiches, soups and stews, salads and sides, small plates and snacks, pasta pizza and grains, seafood, poultry and meat, and finally desserts. Each recipe is is introduced by Lucy with a story about the chef and how she came across the recipe. Since eggs are my most favorite food, I was immediately drawn to an egg recipe that I did end up making over the weekend (coming soon), but I was also intrigued by these kicked up oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Elizabeth Prueitt of Tartine in San Francisco that appear towards the end of the book. I knew I was heading to a birthday party the next day so I decided to give these a whirl for the birthday boy. I love that the recipe includes instructions for freezing the recipe, but if time is not on your side, like it wasn't for me, you can bake the dough immediately instead. I was a little worried that the cookies would be too sweet since there is a lot of sugar in them, but the nice dose of salt is a great balance and the molasses adds a caramel flavor that makes these lovely and slightly intense.




I'm so excited to try so many more recipes from this book. It's so fun to read the chefs' stories and there are nice snippets of recipes from long ago. This post is part of a virtual dinner party that Lucy is hosting. Head to her site to see what everyone else made.


One year ago: Charleston, South Carolina
Two years ago: Double Chocolate Bitter Brownies
Three years ago: Pomegranate Ice Cream


Chocolate-Walnut-Oatmeal Freezer Cookies
(From Made in America)

Makes 24-30 3-inch or 5-inch cookies or 48 1 1/2-inch cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons blackstrap or other dark molasses
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oats. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add the molasses and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before adding the next.

Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt. Stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low and slowly beat in the flour mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts by hand with a spatula.

If you're not going to freeze the dough, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Use wet fingers to press the dough into 3 or 5-inch rounds. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are lightly browned, but the centers remain pale. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you a freezing the dough, shape the dough into 2 logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in parchment paper or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least four hours or up to overnight.

Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap, and slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Arrange the dough on prepared baking sheet and bake 4-7 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned, but the centers remain pale. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Printable Recipe