Toasted Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans & Sea Salt

Let's keep cookie-ing, shall we?

Today's a bit more traditional than double chocolate gingerbread cookies and banana bread sugar cookies. I've been drooling over the Neiman Marcus $250 chocolate chip cookie recipe for a while now. As if the mythical price tag wasn't enough, all the images and posts I have seen and read truly sold me. The gorgeous crackles, oat-y texture, melty chocolate and crunchy nuts...see what I mean?

As if things really needed to be changed, I took some time to toast the oats before grinding them up for the dough. I chose pecans for my nuts and then added a pinch of sea salt for the "icing on top". Each were subtle additions that added up to an over-the-top, yet simple cookie.

If baked right, these have a slightly chewy center and crispy edges. Amazing. And crispy chocolate chip cookies are not my jam. Just wait until you try dipping them into coffee or hot chocolate.

These are best within the first 24 hours after baking. After that, the chewiness just about disappears. I recommend, like most fabulous cookies, portioning and freezing the extra dough so you have these gems whenever you need them. Not much makes me happier than a freezer full of cookie dough...and spinach. I love my spinach. 

You may not have the time to try these out in the midst of baking your holiday favorites---sprinkles, colored sugars, peppermint, warm spices and fruity thumbprints---believe me, I know. So just bookmark or pin this for later ;)

Toasted Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

with Pecans & Sea Salt

Servings: 2-3 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped chocolate (dark and/or milk)

1 cup chopped pecans
Sea salt for sprinkling

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oats on a prepared baking sheet and toast for 3 minutes. Remove from oven, stir oats and re-spread out on sheet. Return to oven and repeat until oats smell nutty and they have slightly browned. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't burn.
• Grind oats into flour with a blender or food processor. Pour into a medium bowl with the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 30 minutes in between each addition. With the second egg, add in the vanilla. Once mixture is well combined. Add dry ingredients all at once and slowly stir until just combined. Add chocolate and nuts. 
• Portion and shape cookies into about 2.5 ounce balls, or 2 medium cookie dough scoops stacked. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat; and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt.
• You can either bake immediately, or allow the dough to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or more. For best results, I recommend chilling them. When ready, preheat oven to 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Place cookies in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. For chewy centers, do not over-bake. Cookies should have lightly browned edges. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before moving them over to a cookie rack. 

Notes: Store in an airtight container for about 1 week (best the first 24 hours after baking). Recipe is slightly adapted from Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie, as found on Baker's Royale and Clawson Live.