OATMEAL COOKIES

11 large cookies are in your future. 
The generosity of size allows for my favoured ratio of super-crunch edge to the tweedy middle, trust on it.

113 g | 1/2 cup butter, salted or unsalted though the former preferred
21 g | 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
133 g | 2/3 cup brown sugar
100 g | 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel or finely grated peel of half an orange
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
128 g | 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon medium grain kosher salt, depending on the butter you use
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
134 g| 1 1/2 cups traditional rolled oats
64 g | 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
37 g | 1/4 cup chopped dates
39 g | 1/4 cup butter toffee chips
71 g | 2 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat an oven to 350°F |180°C with racks in the upper and lower thirds. 

Line two half-sheet pans or heavy, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the butter - 113 g, stirring regularly. 

The time will vary depending on the size of your pot, let’s set aside 5 to 7 minutes. 

Once the solids look the colour of hazelnut skins, pull from the heat. 

Let cool for 30 seconds, then slowly pour in the hot water21 g, stirring constantly.

Measure 133 g brown sugars+100 g granulated sugar into a bowl. 

Pour the (still warm) brown butter on top and let stand 30 seconds more, then whisk to combine. 

It will look like wet sand, clumpy and not-at-all-promising, this is fine.  

Add 1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel or finely grated peel of half an orange zest if using. 

Whisk this bowl of grit for maybe 1 minute. 

Add in one egg, and poof, it’ll turn into liquid velvet. 

Beat until lightened in colour and aerated, 1 minute more. 

Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. 

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients … or go for broke and simply dump them, in order, on top of the butter/sugar/egg goo. 

128 g all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon medium grain kosher salt, depending on the butter you use

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

134 g traditional rolled oats

64 g chopped toasted walnuts

37 g chopped dates

39 g butter toffee chips

71 g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Fold until just combined.
With two spoons or a spring-loaded scoop form 11 balls of dough, using roughly 3 tablespoons for each. 

Arrange the balls evenly on the prepared baking sheets, then with clean, damp hands or the flat bottom of a glass, press the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, neatening the edges if desired.

 Bake in the hot oven until puffed with dry, evenly golden tops, 13 to 15 minutes. 

Rotate the pans once during baking, from front to back and top to bottom. 

Pull the pans from the oven and immediately knock each against the stovetop or counter to force out any trapped air (this will deflate the cookies quickly, and make for exceptionally craggy tops). 

Let the cookies cool on their pans for 3 minutes, before moving them to a baking rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Over time, the cookies will soften; to reinstate their crunch, rewarm in a low oven for a few minutes. 

 
NOTES: I usually toast the nuts while the oven is preheating. Spread the walnuts on one of the pans and bake until aromatic and snappy, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the temperature.

 Make sure to stir them often. 

Transfer to a bowl once they’re cool enough to touch. 

Shake any nut dust off the parchment paper before continuing with the cookies.
Using chocolate bars or blocks rather than chips means that the chocolate will melt into the cookies rather than stay in discrete shapes. 

It is my preference, as the resulting rills quite literally extend the chocolate’s reach.