This weekend I had a lot of spare time on my hands, which was actually really nice. I was able to spend a lot of time at home organising the apartment and making it a little more my own, which felt nice because sometimes I feel like I’m spending longer away from it than actually living there. Which is fine, it’s awesome to do a lot of travelling, but I feel like my baking and cooking has gone a little by the wayside as a result.
So between organising the apartment, I decided it was about time that I baked some cookies. Why cookies? Well they are one of my favourite things to bake. I’m not really sure why, but when I do bake them, it makes me think of home. So I felt that perhaps baking some cookies would help me feel like I belonged in my new apartment. Plus, there was a recipe I’ve always wanted to try, so I thought it was the perfect weekend to give it a go!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while (you are amazing) you’ll know that I am on a bit of a life hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love trying new ones out and seeing what I end up with, to see what my favourite is. There are so many different ways one can bake something that might seem so simple to some, that I feel like I may never try all the different ways. But I am going to try, because I feel like chocolate chip cookies deserve that kind of loyalty. They are the staple of baking, and their delicious chocolatey, buttery goodness could warm the coldest of hearts. Plus they are a pretty easy and foolproof thing to bake, it’s quite hard to stuff them up! That’s another thing I love about them, anyone can make them!
So I’ve had this recipe saved for a while but never quite got around to doing it. I guess it is mainly because it has some ingredients I wouldn’t normally put in chocolate chip cookies, so I was a little hesitant. But the thing is, I’ve actually had these cookies before. And they bring back such fond memories to be that to not give the recipe a go would just be a tragedy!
When I was in America in 2012, we stayed at a DoubleTree Hotel in LA. It was one of the last stops I had on my first trip overseas by myself, and I was having a great time. But I was also starting to feel a little homesick. The awesome thing about staying at a DoubleTree, is that when you check in, they actually give you a warm chocolate chip cookie. Now I don’t know whether it was the home sickness or the butter that did it, but this cookie was absolutely delicious. I still remember how good it tasted, and how much I wished that they would give me about 10 more. Sadly I only got one, and I thought that was the end of it.
So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. In my memory this was not your average chocolate chip cookie, and so I needed to find out whether they tasted as good when I made them myself. Could I replicate that delicious cookie that I had in Los Angeles? I had to know, because I feel like no hunt for the perfect cookie is complete without trying to replicate a truly memorable baked good.
The recipe itself is a little more complicated that one I would normally bother with for chocolate chip cookies. I usually like really simple, mix with a wooden spoon and chuck in the oven kind of cookies. So I was a little apprehensive about the ingredients and complicated nature of the recipe. But I persevered and I’m so glad I did. It was all worth it for these amazing cookies, which were an absolute hit when I took them into the office the following day. These cookies are sure to spread the warm fuzzies wherever you take them, if you can stop yourself from eating them all in one sitting!
Ingredients
- ½ cup of rolled oats
- 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature, diced
- ¾ packed cup of brown sugar
- ¾ cup of caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cups of plain flour
- 1 and ½ teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 3 cups of chocolate chips or chocolate melts (I used nestle dark chocolate cooking melts)
- Options: 1 cup of chopped walnuts (these are meant to be in there but I figured that they would be just as good without them)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Combine using an electric hand mixture until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix to combine into a smooth mixture. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl once to ensure everything is mixed through.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Use a wooden spoon to stir through evenly.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine using the wooden spoon. Avoid overmixing; the ingredients should be just combine. Add the chocolate chips and stir through the mixture evenly until just combined.
- Line two baking trays with baking paper. Scoop the cookie dough into 24 even balls, using your hands to roll them, and place on the baking sheet. Ensure there are a few centimetres between each cookie.
- Refrigerate overnight if you can, otherwise freeze for 2 to 4 hours.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the cookies in the oven for 14-16 minutes, or until they are golden and have risen. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container, and they should last about a week.
And there’s the recipe. Like I said, it is a little more complicated than your usual cookie recipe, and who ever heard of putting lemon juice in cookie dough? But honestly it is well worth the effort and slightly weird ingredients. You honestly don’t even know the lemon juice is there, it is so subtle.
These cookies rise a lot more than the cookies I usually make, and take on a delicious almost cake like texture. They are really Moorish and I really think are best served warm. There is something about cookies right out of the oven which makes them one million times better, if that’s even possible. They were absolutely delicious, and I’m so glad I made the effort to finally give them a go.
I took these cookies into work and one guy actually had three, he loved them so much. My housemate wanted them gone because she couldn’t stop. There is something about this recipe which is just next level on the cookie front. They really make you happy in your heart, and I can guarantee they will be a hit with any cookie lover.
So if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know I do a little score of each cookie recipe I put on here. This is no different, so here it goes!
Supreme Cookie Awesomeness Score
Simplicity: 5
Gooeyness: 7
Tastiness: 9
Gone Factor: 8
Total Score: 29/40
Not as good a score as some of the other one’s I’ve tried, but I guess that’s because they are more complicated to make then some of the other cookies I’ve tried. But I think they still have to be some of the best one’s I’ve ever made all things considered, and well worth the effort.
Do you guys have any favourite recipes you want to share? What is your go to cookie?
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
