Oats, a superhero of whole grains, are known for their cholesterol-lowering abilities and fiber richness. Here at the Sylvia Center, we use oats to make a number of sweet treats— granola, oatmeal bars, and these new favorite oatmeal cookies. They are remarkably crispy on the outside and soft in the center, a perfectly satisfying balance of texture and one we don’t often find when baking with all whole wheat flour. When mixing the dough, do beware, because of the whole wheat flour it can become dense. We found that using softened butter, adding the optional juice or milk, and mixing with our hands made this part easier. For little ones in the kitchen, the latter of these is puzzling and then addicting, as this normally tantalizing act of getting your hands all dirty with batter becomes perfectly acceptable. Some of our favorite add-ins are chocolate chips and dried cranberries which give this cookie a sweet but tart flavor. If you’re short on time, pop these cookies right in the oven, but for a cookie that will not spread, chill the dough for as long as you have before baking, or overnight. If you are like us and need a variety of recipes for your cookie baking rotation, or if you have yet to expand your cookie recipe repertoire outside of your normal go-to’s, we think these are the nutritious and delicious option we all need in our lineup!
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Yield: 5 dozen small cookies
Adapted From King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
⅓ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar, light or dark, packed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
¾ cup quick rolled oats
2 tbsp orange juice or milk, optional
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugars, salt, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg, beating until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat again until smooth.
- Add the flour and oats to wet ingredients.
- Mix in chocolate chips and dried cranberries, using your hands to incorporate them if the dough becomes too tough.
- If you have time, cover and chill the dough for as long as you have before baking them, up to 12 hours. If you don’t have time, go straight to baking.*
- Drop a teaspoonful of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets or roll cookie dough by hand into small balls.
- If the cookie dough has been refrigerated, bake the cookies for 13 to 14 minutes, until they’re a very light golden brown, and a bit darker around the edges. For unrefrigerated dough, bake for about 11 minutes. For softer cookies, reduce the baking time by about 2 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool right on the baking sheets or move to a cooling rack.
*Chilling the dough prevents the cookie from spreading while baking. If you don’t have time for this, the cookie will be flatter, but just as delicious!
