Makes about 35 cookies
I can’t imagine a time when I won’t be creating new chocolate chip cookies. This latest addition to my collection is chewy and a bit crunchy on the edges. That it’s got oatmeal is almost a secret — there’s not much, it’s not really visible and until the cookie’s a day old, its taste is in the background — but it’s part of what makes the chewiness so winning.
I’ve kept the sugar to a minimum — less sugar means more chocolate flavor. If you want to increase it, though, I’ve given you options, but I’d suggest that you make a choice: Increase either the granulated or the brown sugar — don’t up both of them at the same time. The one absolute in this cookie is the chocolate: Use good chocolate and chop it yourself. Chips will work, but they won’t give you great flavor, they won’t melt into the cookie the way chopped chocolate does and they won’t give you the tweedy look that you get when you chop chocolate and then include the “dust.”
a word on chubbiness
If you bake these cookies straight from the mixing bowl, they’ll spread. If you chill or freeze the dough, they’ll be chubbier. They’re very good both ways.
Working Ahead
The dough can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’d like, freeze scoops of dough and then bake directly from the freezer, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk together the flour, oats and baking soda.
Working in a large bowl with a flexible spatula, stir together both sugars, the salt and cinnamon, if you’re using it. Drop in the eggs one at a time and beat with the spatula to blend, then stir in the vanilla. Pour in the melted butter — do this in two or three additions — and stir until you have a smooth, shiny mixture. Add the flour and oats all at once and stir gently until they’re almost incorporated. Add the chocolate bits and stir until the dry ingredients are fully blended into the dough. (You can wrap the dough and refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.)
Portion out the dough using a medium cookie scoop (one with a capacity of 1½ tablespoons), or use rounded tablespoons of dough, and place about 2 inches apart on the sheets — these are spreaders.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from front to back and top to bottom, until the cookies are golden and somewhat firm around the edges but still soft in the center — they’ll set as they cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for about 3 minutes before carefully transferring them to racks to cool to just warm or room temperature.
Repeat with the remaining dough, always using a cool baking sheet.
Storing: The cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.