Why Are the Cookies Always Gone?

I thought I had perfected my recipe. I thought I couldn't ask for much more from the cookie gods. Then, I had one of Clementine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, shipped across the United States to my friend, Olivia, from her mother. The recipe's origins are quite unassuming, taken and lovingly preserved from the back of a long-discarded Quaker Oats box. But don't let its humble pedigree dissuade you, because this cookie is as good as any your David Lebovitz-sanctioned, Jacques Torres-approved, or New York Times-acclaimed cookie. This, my friends, is the best chocolate chip cookie ever to cross a mortal baker's oven. 

What makes it so finger-licking, milk-dipping good? It has everything that could possibly taste good in a chocolate chip cookie: walnuts, oats, cinnamon, and - an addition from Olivia's mother - coconut flakes. Perfection. Oddly enough, I enjoy these best once frozen, after only a few minutes of thawing. It's crispy, delicious, and filled with decadent goodness. Which goes to show that even after you think you've found the greatest recipe, the quest for culinary perfection is neverending. 

This recipe is by Quaker Oats, with some tried and true adaptations.

Clementine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies


2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup coconut flakes 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. 

In a medium bowl, sift flour with baking soda, salt and spices. Add to creamed mixture; mixing well. Stir in oats. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets lined with foil. Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10 to 11 minutes for a crispy cookie, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool one minute on cookie sheet. Remove to wire racks.