Oatmeal Pecan Cookies from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - made November 29, 2022 from Chelsea's Messy Apron

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup oat flour (grind oats in blender then measure)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. Cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, oat flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Add in oats and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Portion into golf-ball-size dough balls and flatten slightly into thick discs. Cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough discs. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges are set and middles are barely past the raw stage. Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

The original title for these were Oatmeal Pecan Cookies but I omitted the nuts (because you know how I feel about nuts in cookies) and used raisins and chocolate chips instead. I know, I know, I despise raisins even more in cookies than I do nuts but these weren't going to be for me and I wanted to try this recipe for oatmeal cookies. So I cheated. After I finished mixing the dough but before I added the raisins and chocolate chips, I took a scoop of "plain" dough and added chocolate chips. That was my test cookie. I added raisins and chocolate chips to the rest of the dough and we were off to the races.

The cookie itself was pretty good. The edges were crisp and the cookie was nice and chewy. They still spread more than I would've liked but it seems like most of my cookies have been baking flatter in the past few months, even tried and true recipes that normally baked up thick cookies. I'm starting to be convinced the butter is the culprit. Not only has butter gotten more expensive but I suspect they've also become more watered down. There's NO WAY all of my previously tried recipes that used to be thick are now always spreading thin. It's a little annoying. #firstworldproblem. At least the taste is still good on each one. But butter makers, I see you and what you're doing to increase prices and cut quality at the same time. Boo.

Anyway, back to this cookie. If you like a good oatmeal raisin (or pecan or chocolate chip) cookie, this is a good one to try. You want to bake them just until the edges are golden and caramelized and the middles look just barely past the raw stage. Remember the cookies will continue baking on the hot cookie sheet until you transfer them to a wire rack so don't leave them too long in the oven.