Bake Sale Winning Oatmeal Cookies

With a little extra work, you can vanquish your enemies

Why do you have so many oatmeal cookie recipes on your site? Because I continue to find new recipes by online bakers and I continue to think they can be improved on. All the recipes I have make good oatmeal cookies, but are slightly different. This one (Originally from Sugar Spun Run) came out exactly how I wanted it to (with all my tweaks), and so I thought I would share it with you. Word of caution: there are a few ingredients you might not have at home, and there is some extra work (grinding oatmeal, toasting and chopping nuts, soaking dried fruit) that other recipes don’t call for. If you’re a simple-is-fine kind of baker, you can skip all that. 

Pictured above: Things you might not have in your pantry: Dried cherries, Niblack butterscotch chips, Niblack butterscotch flavor/extract, Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla powder, Curio Vanilla powder, McCormick premium vanilla extract, Vietnamese cinnamon, whole nutmeg to grate. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (two sticks)  unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, PACKED
• ½ cup granulated sugar (I go heavy)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup  all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾-1 teaspoon table salt
• Pinch of vanilla bean powder
• 1 tsp vanilla powder 
• ¾-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp of nutmeg (grate it yourself don’t use pre-grated nutmeg!)
  •  3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ground in a Cuisinart for 3-4 pulses. Should still be able to see oatmeal flakes.
  • ¼ cup butterscotch chips (include with rolled oats)
•  ½ tablespoon of maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon of butterscotch extract 
• 1 cup toasted pecans 
• 1-1 ½ cups dried sour cherries, cranberries and raisins. I like Cherries the best, so pick your own ratio!

Instructions 

1. (Avengers) Assemble the Wet Ingredients: 
   • Beat 1 cup of butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
   •  Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy ( scrape down sides and bottom of bowl).  
   • Add eggs, one at a time,
   • Add vanilla extract, maple syrup and butterscotch extract. 
   • Measure out your dried fruit ingredients (sour cherries, cranberries, raisins). Soak in a combination of vanilla and spring water for at least 15 minutes. Put aside.
     
2. Assemble the dry ingredients:
   • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla powder and vanilla bean powder. 
   • In the Cuisinart (or equivalent) Grind 3 cups of oatmeal together with the butterscotch chips (NOTE: you could add flaked sweetened coconut here if you’re adventurous). Add to the flour mixture.
   • Toast pecans. When done, chop them and when cooled add to dry ingredients.
     
3. COMBINE
   • Add flour mixture to butter mixture gently until completely combined.  I prefer to mix by hand in the bowl of the mixer and only use the electric power for a little bit to finish.
   • Drain dried fruit and add to combined flour-butter mixture.
   • When combined, remove from bowl, wrap in cellophane and and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and overnight if possible.
     
4. BAKE EM, DANO
   • Preheat oven to 375F and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
   • These cookies are better rounded by hand, but you can use your number 3 (blue) cookie scoop to grab some to roll with your palms.  
   • Bake on 375F for 10-12 minutes — edges should be slightly browned.
   • Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet or cooling rack for at least five minutes (if you can wait) before serving.