Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some of the best things in life are a happy accident.

This recipe came by absolute mistake. Honestly, I was trying so hard to follow someone else's recipe for a quick batch of cookies to bring to my friend for his drive from NYC to Florida, but, it's hard. The dough didn't come together into a way I knew would make good cookies and it's been too hot and humid in the city this week to have my oven on for sub-par cookies. So, I added more of this and more of that and when it finally looked acceptable for my overly judgmental eyes, I popped them in the oven and then scrambled for a notepad to remember what I added.

They turned out ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Honestly, the best advice I can give to anyone who wants to bake, is even though baking is more of an exact science than cooking, that doesn't mean you have to follow a recipe exactly if you feel like something isn't right or if it isn't how you want it. Life is too short to eat shitty chocolate chip cookies just because someone else claims it's the worlds best chocolate chip cookie recipe. That goes for my recipes too, if you want to change something and make it your own, GO AHEAD! Seriously, I'm just flattered you read this whole thing in the first place :)

Makes: 12 large cookies              Prep time: 15 minutes             Bake time: 15-17 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2/3 cup oats
• 2 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 bag of chocolate chips

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take 1/3 cup of oats and grind in a food processor until close to, but not quite powdery. 

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, ground and whole along with the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Add in the egg, lemon juice and vanilla.

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until combined. Don't worry if the chocolate chips start to melt because of the hot butter, this will make the cookies even better.

Step 5: Scoop approximately 1/4 cup dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. You should be able to do about 6 cookies per sheet so they have enough room to spread without touching.

Step 6: Bake for 15-17 minutes, you want these cookies to be a bit underdone so they stay gooey even when cooled. Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool.