Make Ahead
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Popular on Food52
73 Reviews
Carrie O.
January 23, 2021
I've made this recipe three times now and every time got a different result. This most recent time I followed the recipe to a "T" and the cookies came out completely flat. I blended the shortening and sugars until they were mixed but not until it was light and fluffy as in the past. (Was that the reason?) I sifted the dry ingredients together as instructed in the recipe and last time I just sifted the flour and stirred in the cocoa (was that it?). I used pre-chopped raw walnuts but didn't toast them before hand. It came out better before with hand chopped pecans. I also shaved the chocolate like the photos in your post but I got better results with chunks. This is very frustrating. I need to bake another batch and try again because I need these cookies for tomorrow! Aaargh! They look like burnt lace cookies.
Amanda H.
January 24, 2021
Hi Carrie, I'm sorry these are causing you so many challenges! And I appreciate your perseverance! Was the shortening chilled by chance? This is the only reason I can think of that the dough wasn't as fluffy as the last time.
Carrie O.
January 24, 2021
Hi Amanda, thanks for your prompt reply! No, I didn't chill the shortening last time but I'm putting the blended shortening and sugar mixture in the fridge now to chill before I add the dry ingredients for my "redo." Walnuts are in the toaster oven. I'll let you know how it turns out...
Carrie O.
January 25, 2021
Huge success! Refrigerating the shortening mixture and the dough between batches did the trick. The cookies came out chubby and delicious! Thanks for the advice.
I also turned my oven down to 340, measured the dry ingredients before sifting together instead of sifting the flour before measuring and chopped the nuts and chocolate into large pieces. I suspect the ratio of wet to dry was off and then add a hot kitchen and everything “melted” to a deflated, flat crisp. I wish I could upload a photo of the different outcomes side by side. It’s quite a contrast! Received lots of raves and the cookies disappeared in minutes!
I also turned my oven down to 340, measured the dry ingredients before sifting together instead of sifting the flour before measuring and chopped the nuts and chocolate into large pieces. I suspect the ratio of wet to dry was off and then add a hot kitchen and everything “melted” to a deflated, flat crisp. I wish I could upload a photo of the different outcomes side by side. It’s quite a contrast! Received lots of raves and the cookies disappeared in minutes!
Amanda H.
January 25, 2021
Amazing sleuthing and so happy to know your tweaks made all the difference! Thanks for letting me/us know!
Mags
July 2, 2020
Can I substitute solid coconut oil for the shortening? Many thanks.
Amanda H.
July 7, 2020
Hi Mags, I haven't tried this but I found this formula for substituting coconut oil for shortening: To substitute for shortening, I use a combination 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil. (Actually the amount of coconut oil can be reduced by about 25%, so in a recipe calling for 1 cup of shortening I would use 1/2 cup butter and 3/8 cup of coconut oil. If you want to use all coconut oil 3/4 cup of coconut oil should work as a substitute for 1 cup of shortening.)
Mags
July 7, 2020
Thank you so much Amanda.
I’m gonna try this tomorrow and will let you know.
Best wishes x
I’m gonna try this tomorrow and will let you know.
Best wishes x
Denise M.
April 29, 2019
I made these cookies and used butter just because I didn’t have any shortening and probably more Coco because I thought I had a quarter cup scoop but I had a 1/3 cup scoop so that’s the only difference I made. These cookies are just divine. I just had two for breakfast. Oh and I used a bag of dark chocolate chips. They’re better than I thought they would be I’m going to cook the rest today. I live alone and have them all to myself, well maybe I’ll give my neighbor some! Thanks for the great recipe!
ifjuly
March 2, 2019
Late to the party given all the glowing praise below, but! These are so, so good. I made a batch a couple weeks ago and sent my partner off to work with half and it's one of the only times ever I found myself secretly regretting sharing. Good warm fresh out of the oven, but somehow even better, with deeper flavor, the next day when totally hardened. Between this and Merrill's recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (plus the pistachio apricot ones from Molly Wizenberg's blog), I've learned over time I apparently can't resist cookies that use oatmeal for its wonderful textural properties without coming off as the straightforward oatmeal-focused classic specimen. The chocolate flavor of these is divine, and I love how easy the recipe is too. Yay shortening.
Ann-Marie D.
April 6, 2016
Sorry, am a bit afraid of shortening? Why is shortening being used instead of butter? (It makes the cookie not fall flat?)
Emily
January 6, 2017
They're cookies, not granola bars. "Organic" or "non-GMO" shortening will do zip to make them "healthful." Live a little.
maryke
February 20, 2014
I made these last night but tweaked it a bit (quite a bit!). Left out chocolate and nuts (it being month end after a VERY long month) and added just under a cup of coconut. Also cut back on the sugar and substituted shortening with sunflower oil. Came out delicious and my kids LOVE it (and I do too :))
Patricia B.
December 15, 2013
This may seem like a pretty dumb question, especially for experienced bakers, but could someone please clarify "shortening" for baking? Does it mean Crisco, canola oil, butter, olive oil, what???
Sarah C.
December 15, 2013
Not a dumb question. It means Crisco, but you can use other fats instead. It might make the cookie flatter is all. Sometimes, if you want it JUST LIKE the picture, you should go exactly as they say, but I use what is healthiest (I'm gonna be eating it). Canola oil.
Amanda H.
December 15, 2013
Hi Patricia, Sarah is right -- shortening means something like Crisco. But there are other varieties of shortening -- for instance, Spectrum shortening is non-hydrogenated and is made with palm oil: http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=87
Smaug
September 11, 2016
Strictly speaking, shortening is any fat used to shorten a pastry- could be butter, margarine, Crisco, anything. Unfortunately, the word has become identified with Crisco, though the term "vegetable shortening" for that is a description of it's intended use, not a name. Another fine old word- for which there's no good substitute- being allowed to die through sloppy usage.
Sarah C.
December 8, 2013
I made it replacing the white sugar with a Truvia blend. Fine, except it seems the Truvia cooks a tad faster. Take off two minutes and you are good. Also, I used canola oil, not shortening, and a little more oats, no nuts. Still great.
Kerry J.
July 9, 2013
Made a half batch of these last night using unsalted butter instead of shortening because I didn't have any. They were still amazingly delicious! As you pointed out, I think the roughly chopped dark chocolate is what makes these so yummy and gooey. Mine did turn out looking brown like chocolate cookies rather than the picture, so I'm guessing maybe that has to do with using butter instead of shortening? Or, perhaps the kind of cocoa powder I used? Will try again soon with shortening.
Randi
August 27, 2012
We are a nut-free home. Would you add anything to replace nuts, or just leave them out?
Amanda H.
August 27, 2012
You can just leave them out -- no problem. And I think that's a better way to go than adding anything else. Although if the cookies are not for children, gin- or run-soaked raisins are great in chocolate and oatmeal cookies.
aussiefoodie
March 10, 2012
I don't have any dark chocolate... Has anyone tried these as a white chocolate chip/pistachio cookies? Thinking I will out the cocoa, but not sure how the oats will go with white chocolate?
aussiefoodie
March 10, 2012
I tested it out - substituted dark chocolate for 1 cup white chocolate chips and walnuts for 1 cup chopped pistachios. I omitted the cocoa and instead used 1 3/4 cup All Purpose flour. I used 1 scant cup brown sugar, loosely packed. The key difference is the white chocolate adds a lot of sweetness, so next time I would probably used 3/4 cup brown sugar (loosely packed). But they have worked out great - I like the texture from the oatmeal. I probably over-cooked them slightly (I need to remember they keep cooking on the tray out of the oven) as I would like them a little more chewy. Great recipe! Thanks! I look forward to testing with dark chocolate.
Amanda H.
March 10, 2012
Great -- thanks for the follow up. Hadn't thought about the white chocolate sweetness issue. Makes sense.
sharli13
March 6, 2012
just took them out of the oven...this is just not fair....they are unbelievably without a doubt indisputably incredible.....I have to get away from this blog....it's driving me insane..all I want to do is cook...bake....cook...bake....HELP.....you are just wonderful....on the other hand....don't stop....:)
lschrive
January 12, 2012
Beautifully snow day - so my daughter helped me make these today. She was very glad to not have to wait and let the butter come up to room temperature as it is shortening recipe. Everything turned out well - and I love the crispy yet chewy texture. Will definitely toss this recipe into the cookie rotation. Thanks!
DanaYares
January 8, 2012
This is a wonderful cookie. I made it just as the recipe says and they turned out great!
mdonovan33
November 22, 2011
I've been wanting to make these for a while and with company coming for Thanksgiving, I thought I'd make a batch. They were an absolute DISASTER!! I took the advice of others and did half butter/half shortening, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. The cookies came out of the oven as one giant, flat cookie. They certainly don't look like the picture! Are they supposed to be that flat? I chilled the dough after the first batch, and that helped a bit, but I also found the flavor lacking. They have both cocoa and chocolate, yet all I taste is oatmeal!
A VERY disappointing recipe.
A VERY disappointing recipe.
Amanda H.
November 24, 2011
Very sorry you had a bad experience, but it's not fair to change a recipe and then blame the recipe! I've made this many times with all shortening and the photo you see above is what it looks like -- because that is one of the batches I made and that photo was taken in my apartment in Brooklyn. Still, I don't want you to have a bad experience. I gather that butter contains more moisture than shortening so I'm wondering if this extra moisture is what caused your cookies to spread.
mdonovan33
November 26, 2011
Amanda, you're absolutely right. I should not criticize the recipe after changing ingredients and I most humbly apologize. There's another oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie I make that has half butter/half shortening and I thought I could make the same substitution here. I will try this again, with all shortening, and hopefully they'll hold some shape. As I said, I was making them for house guests, and when I pulled them out of the oven, I was so disheartened by how they looked that I wrote the above comment in anger. On the plus side, I've taken these "lace" cookies and used them to make really tasty ice cream sandwiches!
Amanda H.
November 26, 2011
How thoughtful of you to write back! And glad there was a silver lining -- ice cream sandwiches sound great! Hope the next batch works out better.
CrazyDaisyZ
October 18, 2011
I, too, used butter instead of shortening. I also used special dark cocoa instead of regular cocoa and they turned out fabulous! My family loved them! My kids are asking me to make them again.
kerbi
October 7, 2011
I also made them with butter (shortening just scared me) and they are going to be a new staple in our cookie repertoire. They were absolutely delicious! They had the right balance of sweet but not too sweet.
everblessed
September 27, 2011
Just made these tonight, but with all butter and two cups of oats (I live in a humid climate and the dough looked too wet)...delicious!
Amanda H.
September 27, 2011
Everyone is having such success with butter, I think I'm going to have to try it myself! Thanks for your comment.
monkeymom
September 27, 2011
Made these the other day with the 1 cup of oatmeal. Also did half shortening and half butter (because I ran out of shortening). My kids (and I) loved them! They have a perfect texture - crisp edges and chewy middle. Thanks for a new family favorite!
loves2eat
September 26, 2011
Can't wait to try it. How well do they freeze? I have an event coming up next month and would like to make ahead. Thanks.
midnitechef
September 26, 2011
I'm also curious how long they store for (air-tight on counter, or frozen)? My other oatmeal cookies tend to be best within the first day or two, then they don't taste as good and dry out.
Amanda H.
September 26, 2011
I haven't frozen them so I'm not sure. A safer bet would be to freeze the dough and bake off the cookies the day before the event. Also, they are best eaten within a day.
aussiefoodie
March 10, 2012
Would you freeze the dough in one batch, or separate it into cookie sized portions before freezing? Thanks!
Amanda H.
March 10, 2012
You could go either way. I'd probably freeze in one batch (to avoid freezer burn or other freezer issues) and defrost for a day in the fridge.
Amanda H.
September 24, 2011
Hey all -- I made a mistake when I added the recipe to the site. It should be 1 cup oats, not 3 cups. Apologies to anyone who made the recipe and had a problem.
TaffyIsVictory
September 24, 2011
Don't understand, three cups of oats?? That really dried out the batter. Slideshow only shows one cup going in. What's the deal here?
Amanda H.
September 24, 2011
Hey -- thank you SO much for catching that. That was a typo. It should be 1 cup!
ssharma1121
September 23, 2011
These cooks are just okay. Followed the instructions... the dough seemed a little dry. Hubby said they tasted more like brownies than like cookies.
Amanda H.
September 24, 2011
So sorry -- I make a mistake when I typed in the recipe. It should have been 1 cup oats, not 3 cups. That would account for the dryness. Again, my apologies!
durun99
September 22, 2012
The original recipe for "Ruth's Oatmeal Crisps" calls for 3 cups of oats. Everything else is pretty much the same as your recipe except for the 1/4 cup cocoa and swapping out raisins and pecans for dark chocolate and walnuts. Why would using 3 cups of oats in your recipe dry your cookies out but not the original recipe?
durun99
September 22, 2012
So I went ahead and made the recipe with 1 cup of oats and the batter was way too moist. I added in another cup of oats and it worked fine. I think it could've taken even more than that and still not been dry. Tasted great, too, everyone loved them.
thespicegirl
September 20, 2011
Delicious looking cookies. I just made a batch of my own version of chocolate oat cookies (healthy version) but will definitely give this a go next time. The crispy aspect coming from the shortening sounds like a real winner! Thanks for sharing.
ashleychasesdinner
September 20, 2011
What a wonderful recipe! I love oatmeal chocolate cookies! I am less inclined to feel guilty with the oatmeal being so healthy and all!
Trifunster
September 20, 2011
Just made these, yummy. Only thing is mine are not as flat as picture. Wonder why.
Lizthechef
September 20, 2011
What is your favorite cocoa powder to use here? In general, I prefer Droste.
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