Quick! Oh my goodness!! The baby's asleep! I have all of thirty-five minutes to not only write this post, but do the dishes and, you know, wash and dress myself. Hurry, woman! Stop telling them about how little time you have and just do this thing!
Okay, so. You know how you sometimes just wake up needing a cookie? And not just any old cookie, but a sort of trashy, overstuffed, super-delicious cookie that will give you a guilty conscience if you eat more than two at once? That's how I woke up last Friday. Hungry for cookies.
A quick glance through my kitchen cupboards that morning turned up a container of oats, an unopened bag of shredded coconut, some almonds kicking around in a glass jar and half a bar of chocolate. An even quicker Google search led me to this recipe. (And to the related thought of missing Gourmet. I know, that dead horse is beaten. But still. I miss it. Epicurious is no substitute.)
My darling son and his myriad needs made it so that even though I started making the dough right then and there, I didn't get to actually eat a cookie until it was almost dinnertime. (Oh, babies.) That's not to say that the recipe was in any way complicated. It's a super-simple base dough laden with chopped chocolate, toasted nuts, coconut and oats. It is the cookie version of Molly's French granola, in other words.
Yes. Yes yes yes.
The original recipe says to drop 1/4 cup-sized portions of dough onto the sheet, but that sounded obscene to me, so I made smaller cookies for the first sheet, which then promptly overbrowned in the oven. Chastened, I made larger ones for the second sheet. And then I figured out why the larger ones were better: These are no three-bite sablés, to be eaten after being dipped in some delicate-tasting tea. Oh no. These are COOKIES, brawny and brazen and unapologetic (although next time I'd reduce the sugar a little). Palm-sized is the way to go. Best paired with a large glass of milk to wash them down with. Also, to be eaten warm from the oven, when the outside is crisp and the inside is chewy and the chocolate is molten and the whole house smells like a cookie factory. Yes.
Once I'd filled my cookie craving, there was still dough left, so I baked more and filled a whole bag for my friends. Once that was done, there was still dough left. So I baked more cookies and filled another whole bag for my in-laws. And there was still dough left. (Can you tell I've been reading a lot of children's books lately?) So I formed the remaining dough into balls, put them on a plate which I stuck in the freezer, and then put the frozen dough balls in a freezer bag. You know, for a rainy day, when I need just one cookie and don't want to make a whole batch of cookie dough.
I've always meant to do this kind of thing, but never have. But now I am a mother, sensible, laden with bags and always thinking ahead, so I have no excuse. I feel very pleased with myself about this frozen cookie dough. And as soon as I can fill the rest of the freezer with nutritious soups for me and ice cube trays of puréed vegetables for Hugo, I shall purchase high-waisted jeans and a station wagon and never look back again. Yes? Yes.
Speaking of motherhood, I was thrilled to be interviewed for the wonderful Momfilter: check it out here (bonus wedding and Hugo pics!).
Oh, and the lovely Caroline from Whipped did a great Q & A right over here: click.
The baby's still asleep! It's an October miracle! Off to shower! xo!
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
From Gourmet
Makes an enormous amount of cookies
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar (I'd use 3/4 cup)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (I'd use 3-4 tablespoons)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged finely shredded unsweetened coconut
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled, and chopped
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and almonds.
3. Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on a baking sheets. Bake until golden, rotating halfway through, 15 minutes total.
4. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
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