Probably not. Sometimes a nice crisp cookie…like a biscotti or shortbread is lovely. Some people like to eat flat cookies others prefer them rounded. If you are craving cookies as a comfort food straight out of the oven…well then…chances are you want them flat, light, gooey and chewy.
How do you make cookies in the first place? You might ask?
First you need a fat. Butter, shortening, margarine, egg yolks, oil, ghee…animal fat like lard. I’m sure there are others. My choice is pure sweet butter.
Then you need some kind of sugar…granulated white or brown processed sugar, honey, sugar from cane juice or syrup, agave, maple syrup, concentrated fruit juices, molasses. There’s probably more. Liquid sugars help make your cookies soft. Dry sugar, assist in making them crisp.
Maybe throw in some eggs to give richness, air for lightness, and some moisture.
Need a bit of a flavour boost or enhancer, add some salt or vanilla or almond extract.
How about some gooeyness or texture? Try some whole rolled oats, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, pretzels, potato chips, Smarties…the kitchen sink? Funny.
You need a starch, like all purpose flour, rice flour, spelt flour, quinoa flour, oat flour, kamut flour, chickpea flour, whole wheat flour, lentil flour…the possibilities are endless here.
Depending on the recipe, you might need a leavening agent so you don’t break a tooth. Baking powder, baking soda, eggs beaten for minutes, carbonated sodas perhaps.
Ahhh and now for the answer to the ultimate question: How do you like YOUR cookie? Chewy or crisp??? Two things to remember about the texture of your cookies: baking powder for crisp and baking soda for chewy. Hard like biscotti…leave the leavening agent out.
It’s about chemistry. Baking powder has acid in the formula. Baking soda does not and requires a dairy product or acidic juice to lighten things up.
My family loves cookies. So when my kids were living at home with me…if I made cookies…they never lasted very long.
The cookies not the kids…wait, let’s think about that one for a moment. The texture is a big deal to my family. They like cookies in any way shape or form, but the chewy ones brought the most excitement and happiness.
I have developed gazillion chewy cookie recipes: chewy ginger cookies, chewy Swiss chocolate nougat, chewy double chocolate, chewy almond butter cookies, and chewy butter pecan…and so the list goes. Last week I made a cookie to die for….you just can’t stop eating them. My son took a dozen home and finished them that day. These cookies combine the wholesome comfort of oatmeal and walnuts, and the chewy texture, and the gooey chocolate chips, and are simple to make, and are organic too! I would love to hear your thoughts on the texture, flavour, and warm fuzzy feeling you get when eating these cookies.
Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies About 52 cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2/3 cup organic cane syrup sugar 1 cup organic packed light brown sugar 2 large organic omega 3 enriched eggs 1 3/4 cup organic whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 3/4 cup organic old –fashioned rolled whole oats 1 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined.
Add the vanilla extract.
On low speed, add the flour, baking soda, coarse kosher salt. Scrape bowl down and mix only until combined. Mix in rolled oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons, spaced on the baking sheet and flatten the tops slightly with your hand.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they just start to turn brown across the top. Do not over bake or the cookies will be crispy not chewy.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
Tip: If your brown sugar is hard. Put a citrus peel or damp paper towel in the bag. Close. Wait for an hour. Should be magically soft again.
Storage: Once cool, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, or frozen for up to two months.