Monday, May 17, 2010

Oatmeal Toffee Chip Cookies


 My niece, Kristin, recently had a jewelry party and she invited me to stop by for a drink and a nosh. Frankly, I had no plans of buying any jewelry, (which she knew when she invited me) but a party is a party, right? The more the merrier! So, I was happy to stop by. She had a tasteful variety of hors d'oeuvres, some sweet, some savory, and ALL so delicious, especially these cookies!
 They're so buttery and chewy! As soon as I took a bite, I knew I wanted the recipe. She told me she got the recipe from iVillage.com, only she made a slight change. When she made them, she used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, which worked absolutely perfectly.  I'm sure yours will turn out perfectly as well, regardless of which type of flour you choose. Oh!  Here's an idea.... Make a double batch of dough, roll them into balls, and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Then whenever you want some home baked cookies, just bake up a tray or two!  Wait, actually, I think you should bake up a batch, like, right now!
Thanx Kristin!




1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal, uncooked (not quick oats)
1/2 cup (about 3 oz) toffee crunch candy, such as Heath Bar or Skor



1. Position 2 oven racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside. Put the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until they are blended thoroughly, about 15 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl during this time. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture and oatmeal. Stir in the crushed toffee. Using 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the cookie balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake the cookies until golden brown, 12 to 13 minutes. After 7 minutes of baking, reverse the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom to ensure even browning. Watch the cookies carefully as they near the end of their baking time.

4. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to 2 wire racks to cool completely. Makes about sixteen 3-inch cookies.
 
 Notes: Lining the baking sheets with parchment paper will prevent the melted toffee from sticking to the baking sheet. The bottoms of these sweet cookies can burn easily, so watch the cookies carefully at the end of their baking time. To crush the toffee, leave it in its paper wrapper and crush it with the flat side of a meat pounder. Unwrap the toffee and break up any pieces larger than 1/2 inch.

To Freeze: Place the bottoms of 2 cookies together and wrap them in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped cookies in a metal or plastic freezer container and cover tightly. Label with date and contents. Freeze up to 3 months. To serve, remove as many cookies from the freezer as needed and defrost the wrapped cookies at room temperature. Serve within 3 days.

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