Cookie Thursday: Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

chocolate-oatmeal-drops

Thank goodness for schools that need cookie incentives. I love to bake, but certainly don’t need to consume all those cookies myself. Tomorrow, my son’s school needs 2 dozen cookies for some project, and I was only too happy to oblige. It has been nearly 3 months since I posted my last cookie recipe, and I did not do a lot of baking this summer.

Today’s cookie is another from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, and as far as I can tell (along with my tasters) it is a winner. Very easy to make, you don’t even need a stand mixer or egg beater. And they are perfect for the chocoholic in your family, while the added oatmeal reassures you that they aren’t completely bad for you!

Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cook kind)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a heat proof bowl over simmering water, melt the butter, water, brown sugar and chocolate chips, stirring occasionally until all is melted. Mine looked pretty grainy, and Greenspan warns not to overheat, which would cause the butter to separate.

Remove from heat, and add eggs one at a time (I was whisking constantly to avoid scrambled eggs). Stir in the flour, and then the oats.

Using your cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving space between the blobs (they will spread). Bake 12 minutes, swapping the trays top to bottom and front to back, until the edges are crispy and the centers still a little soft. Cool on baking rack.

Next time, I might try adding a little espresso powder, but that might be gilding the lily. They are really outstanding as written….