One Wrong Measurement Created The Rolls Royce of Oatmeal Cookie Recipes, by Kitchen in the Shire on YouTube. 15 min 7 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 7 s
- Time to do it
- 50 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread 2 cups (180 g) rolled oats on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant and lightly golden.
Melt 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan until the foam settles and the milk solids turn amber and smell nutty, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 tbsp molasses, 1 egg, 1 yolk and 2 tsp vanilla.
Stir 1 1/2 cups (190 g) plain flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp fine salt together. Fold into the butter mixture, then stir in the toasted oats until just combined.
Scoop 2 tbsp mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined tray, about 3 inches apart. Flatten each one slightly with your fingers so it spreads evenly.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the centres still look soft. Rotate the tray halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.
Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the hot cookies. Leave them on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up, then move them to a wire rack to crisp.
For a chocolate version, press a few chocolate chunks into each dough mound before baking. Leave them plain if you want the caramel flavour to lead.
Tips and common mistakes
Use a pale pan for the butter so you can see the colour change before the solids burn.
Pull the butter off the heat as soon as it smells nutty and looks like dark amber, since it keeps cooking in the hot pan.
Weigh the flour if you can, because a heavy hand with flour is what makes oatmeal cookies turn puffy instead of thin.
Hot butter spits when it hits the sugar, so stir it in slowly and keep your face back from the pan.
Questions
How do I know when the butter is properly browned?
The foam on top dies down and the little bits at the bottom turn amber with a toasted, nutty smell. That takes about 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Warm dough spreads fastest, so chill it for 30 minutes if the kitchen is hot. Also check that your baking soda is fresh and that you measured the flour loosely.
Can I skip toasting the oats?
You can, but the cookies lose the deep toasted flavour that makes them taste bakery-made. Toast a whole tray at once and keep the spare oats for the next batch.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
