Oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies

This weekend, I was briefly possessed by the spirit of Cookie Monster.

No, I didn’t turn into a blue monster with googly eyes (phew), but I did devour six cookies in short order one morning, promptly ruining my appetite for the rest of the day.

My mom was visiting, and I convinced her to do a little baking. She decided on oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which ended up being oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies (always use the most chocolate possible!).

It’s wonderful when someone else makes cookies for you – but if you make these yourself, the good news is that they’re pretty easy. The oats add great texture (and make the cookies seem a little healthy) and the combination of bittersweet chunks and chips yields differently sized pockets of melted chocolate. And as usual, my mom’s cookies are never too sweet, which makes it all too easy to eat a lot of them!

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Oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Scant 1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup light brown sugar (do not pack)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/3 cups chocolate chips (we used 1 cup 67% chunks, 1/3 cup 70% chips)

Adjust oven racks to the low and middle positions and preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 min. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add vanilla.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Roll the dough into 2” balls (about 2 tbsp dough in each), and place on prepared baking sheets, spaced at least 2” apart.

Bake just until the cookie edges turn golden brown, 15-20 mins (check at 15 mins so they are not overbaked).  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.