Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

- Amanda

I've never been a huge oatmeal cookie fan. They're too sweet, too buttery, too straight-A student for me. What they need, in my view, is some bitterness, and that's easy to come by in chocolate. So I took the one oatmeal cookie I can tolerate -- a 1966 Kentucky State Fair winner that's crisp with a shortening base, and not too sweet -- and added both cocoa and chopped chocolate. It's important to chop the chocolate by hand so you get a blend of shards and chunks. The shards melt into the dough, increasing the gooeyness, and the chunks offer relief from the do-good oats. I also underbake them slightly so they stay soft in the center while the edges shatter with each bite.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 60 cookies

• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 teaspoon baking soda Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup organic vegetable shortening Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup sugar Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 2 large eggs Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup oats Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate Ask a question about this ingredient.

• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
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• See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

  Like this post? See Amanda's post from last week: Grilled Lamb with Eggplant, Mint, and Feta

  Photos by Nicole Franzen