Small Batch Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (makes 8) + step-by-step photos

Small Batch Cookies with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chocolate and Oatmeal.

These days have been congested with exams, essays and work. For those who are out of school, do you miss it? Sometimes I walk through hallways, touching the walls and close my eyes to listen – to the students chattering like magpies, to cashiers in one of the dining halls clink and squeak, to the whir of microwaves and booths. I wonder if I can remember, and I wonder if I will miss it. Some say you don’t experience true pain until the workforce, the “real” adult world. Others insist it only goes uphill. I’d like to say I’m an optimist, but I don’t think about the future often – I am just a mere mist, like chaff in the wind. Who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll do?

All this work, however, has been pretty taxing. Thus I found myself bustling in the kitchen after reviewing a lecture. I scolded myself for putting off studying, but also congratulated myself for rewarding my hard work. And anyhow, it worked out – there’s a Teacher Assistant strike here at my school, and my Professor actually cancelled tomorrow’s midterm! Quite unbelievable. A sense of disappointment settled in my stomach – I wanted to get it over with, as I have many papers and presentations due after. I also wanted to watch a movie after my midterm, but now that must be postponed (I suspect that’s the real reason here. Goodbye for now, Kingsman Service). But I’m also relieved for the extra time to study… and enjoy these small batch oatmeal cookies.

This really is quite the small batch – each cookie is only 1 tablespoon sized, and I baked them in my small convection oven. It’s a lovely treat – I paired it with Orange Pekoe tea, and I find the blend of bitter tea, hearty oats and rich cinnamon like a thick blanket in these cold winter days: soothing and satisfying.

RECIPE:

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Source: Adapted from the Cake Merchant

INGREDIENTS

GROUP A

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon quick cooking oats
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

GROUP B

• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

GROUP C

• 1 large egg yolk
  • (I used a flax meal substitute because I didn’t want to deal with the egg white: use 2 tablespoons warm water plus 2 teaspoons of flax meal. Whisk with fork until egg-like consistency)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 (flax egg)

GROUP D

• Heaping 1/4 cup add ins
  • (chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, raisins, walnuts or whatever you please. I used mini chocolate chips, though I think butterscotch chips or raisins would be even better)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together GROUP A (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg).
   
2. In a saucepan, add the butter from GROUP B and melt on medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter is browned in colour. It will have a nutty aroma.
3. Add the rest of GROUP B (white sugar, brown sugar) and mix until well combined.
   
4. Add GROUP C (egg yolk, vanilla) and stir to combine.
   
5. Add GROUP A to GROUP B+C and stir until just combined.
   
6. Add GROUP D (your mix-ins) and stir until incorporated. Do not over mix; the dough should look wet.
   
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
8. Use a spoon, tablespoon or ice cream scoop to form the dough into balls and place them about 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
   
9. Flatten the dough balls slightly for chewier texture, and bake for 8-9 minutes.
10. Leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool. Remove, and cool completely on a wire rack.
    
    Enjoy!
    Moe