Cookie Project: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

I love cookies. Seriously, love them. And as much as I love eating them, I love baking them even more. So, awhile back I decided to start a Cookie Project, inspired by Elise and her incredible blog and her bread and pizza projects. Seriously, I love reading about her life and try to have just a teeny bit of her enthusiasm and creativity in mine. But, back to the project. COOKIES! Yum. Everyone loves a good cookie, right? I've been compiling an array of recipes to try and put my own spin on. I want to make all the classics and try some creative and different cookies that I haven't made before. Also, I'm planning to make my childhood favorites that my Mom and Grandma made for us when we were kids.

This cookie starts my journey through a world full of delightful and yummy cookie recipes! Hope you enjoy them with me and feel free to suggest any other kinds of cookies. I tend to stick to my safety net of chocolate chip varieties but I'm really trying to branch out and try new things and test the limits of "cookie". I'll definitely be including healthy cookie options too. Because while everyone loves a good cookie, it's not realistic to sit around eating cookies all day and I love to experiment with cookies that can serve as energy boosters in a healthy way and still be tasty.

This oatmeal chocolate chip cookies was delicious and everything I was hoping for. Sweet, but not too much so with a good chewy outside and soft inside and a variety of textures with the addition of the pecans. I will be making these again since the ingredients are all things I keep on hand and they were super easy to throw together. And, they didn't last long either. Between me, my husband and my baking buddy Brooke they were gone in two days!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (adapted from Pixelated Crumb)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (3 3/4 ounces) old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), slightly softened
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another medium bowl, mix together toasted pecans, oats, and chocolate chips.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together butter and sugar until no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary and mix for about 30 seconds. On low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Then turn off the mixer and fold in the oats and cherry mixture with a rubber spatula.
4. Roll dough into 1/4-inch balls and place on the baking sheet, lightly flattening each ball to 1-inch thickness. Place the balls 2 1/2 inches apart on the cookies sheets.
5. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 20-22 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through, until cookies are medium brown and the edges are set. Don't worry, the cookies will appear a little underbaked in the middle.
6. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happiness

I missed out on the 12 on the 12th so I thought I would 

share what's bringing happiness to my life right now.  Photographs truly make me happy.