September 26, 2013

Honey & oats

It's not Christmas yet but this is a great time for baking cookies.  If you're thinking any time is a great time for cookies, I totally agree with you (and like the way you think!) but with the cooler temperatures, I feel an unmistakable urge to turn on the oven and permeate the house with the warmth and smell of cookies baking away.  I want to tuck those homemade cookies into a jar and have them around and ready for my son when he comes home from school.  I want to sit down, have a warm cookie and something hot to drink.  Is anyone else craving hot chocolate or am I just a little bit crazy?
Personally, I'm craving all sorts of things right now as the temperature drops. Soups, stews, cookies, and everything in between that's a bit more hearty. I've been daydreaming about oatmeal cookies lately.  Talk about a wonderful creation! I absolutely love, even crave, oatmeal - particularly the steel cut variety - but if you're not like me and don't like oatmeal, chances are you enjoy a good oatmeal cookie, right?  My son is one of those people.  He asked me for chocolate chip cookies the other day.  Apparently, he was craving cookies too.

So I made a batch of these honey oatmeal cookies, inspired by a recipe I stumbled upon in a magazine. They caught my attention because honey is the only sweetener in them.  I really liked the sound of that because honey & oats just go together and since honey is my sweetener of choice when it comes to my oatmeal, this is right up my alley!  I also know that I love what a little maple syrup can do for oatmeal cookies so with this, I envisioned a soft, chewy cookie, flavored with the natural sweetness and goodness of honey, and that's essentially what I got!
Some key mix-ins: chopped semi-sweet chocolate, toasted walnuts, oats, and the honey
Since the original recipe is very much about the honey, it actually calls for Tupelo honey, which isn't all that easy to get your hands on.  With it being the sole sweetener for these cookies, use the best quality honey you can find, which basically just means a honey you love the taste of.  I went with a recent farmer's market find - a regular wildflower honey that I've been enjoying immensely with my regular bowls of oatmeal.

The cookies in the original recipe also included raisins and pecans but since I'm not a fan of either of those ingredients (particularly the raisins), I switched it up and added chocolate and toasted walnuts instead.  I used coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate here but if you're low on time, chocolate chips would work nicely, too.  Putting chocolate in the picture means that some of the flavor of the honey will be overpowered by it, but I'm totally okay with that!  My family would not be happy with me if I made oatmeal cookies without chocolate in it.
The end result: a chewy oatmeal cookie chock full of dark chocolate and toasted walnuts, with the notes of honey and a hint of cinnamon.  With just half a cup of honey in my batch of cookies, they're not overly sweet and you taste each ingredient.  I think there's just something really satisfying about an oatmeal cookie and this was no exception.


These honey oatmeal cookies are simple to put together.  When you first combine the butter, honey, and egg together in the stand mixer, the mixture may look curdled.  I just let the mixer run for a while, until the mixture is as smooth as possible before adding the dry ingredients and the mix-ins.

It's not absolutely necessary but I recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour so that it's firmer and easier to work with.  You can make the dough in advance and chill it overnight like I did. Let the dough rest at room temperature while the oven is preheating.  When you do it this way, I find it's helpful to flatten the dough balls a bit to help it spread a bit more evenly in the oven. 
I generally make my cookies on the small side; these are about heaping tablespoons worth.  The recipe below (which is half the original) made about 20 cookies in my experience.  The honey provides a lot of moisture so that the cookies stay moist for several days in an airtight container.


Recipe:

Honey Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Adapted from Taste of the South's Fall Baking issue (recipe attributed to Glynnis Lanier)*

*The original recipe uses Tupelo honey.  It also contained raisins and pecans instead of the chocolate chips and walnuts that I use here.  I also added the salt.

- Approximately 20 cookies - 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup honey*
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or 3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, honey, and egg together on medium-speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; let the mixer run, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until it is as smooth and incorporated as possible, about 2-3 minutes. On low-speed, add the oats and mix in the combine.  Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts until just incorporated.  If possible, chill the dough for an hour or overnight before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Let cookie dough sit at room temperature while oven preheats.  Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  If dough is chilled and firm, flatten the cookie mounds slightly with your fingers (to help them spread out during baking).  Bake until the cookies are set and beginning to turn golden, approximately 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on wire racks.



49 comments:

  1. It's never a bad time for cookie making in my apartment! I love having them around to snack on. And with honey AND chocolate AND oats?! These are almost health food! :P Of the delicious variety.

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    1. Yes! ...whole wheat flour and honey being the only natural sweetener, you can definitely feel good about these. But most importantly, they taste good. : )

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  2. I'm completely with you - I want to use my oven all the time now that it's a little cooler! And cookies are a very good thing all year round! I really like that these use only honey as the sweetener - and I do love a good oatmeal cookie - especially one with chocolate and walnuts!

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    1. Love that we're on the same page. I was a little doubtful about only using honey as the sweetener, without any refined sugars to "anchor" it but it worked really well!

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  3. I also think cookies are for year round, but like you, I have a stronger urge to bake them when the colder months roll around. These cookies look perfect. Love the chunks of chocolate!

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    1. Thanks - I used Callebaut, which I know we're both fans of.

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  4. Cookies are a four-season thing for us :-)) These honey oats look so good that I can eat them for the breakfast!

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  5. I love that honey is the sweetener here! I'm all about cookies all the time :)

    Sues

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    1. Yes, honey is all you need and it's not too sweet. Cookies are definitely an everyday treat. : )

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  6. Yes, the weather is making us crave for different things. Love that it's got only honey, cool.
    We can never have enough cookie recipes, can we? This one I particularly love, sounds very healthy too.

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    1. I'm totally craving all kinds of turn-on-the stove/oven foods. : ) Never can have too many cookie, brownie, cake recipes...these are healthier than some but really tasty. : )

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  7. These sound great and I love the added walnuts!

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    1. I love toasted walnuts in cookies, too...and seems my son has gone back to "not minding" them so I'm happy.

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  8. With the temperature changes recently, I was just thinking today how it's such a great time to bake. It certainly is better to bake now than in the summer time! :D These cookies look fantastic. And I bet it's super chewy too from the honey! I'm not craving hot chocolate yet but I'm certainly craving soups and stews! Happy Thursday Monica!

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    1. I figured I was in the minority with the hot chocolate but I just get these whims lately and eventually, I have to take care of it (i.e., eat it) because it just won't go away. I'll get to the hot chocolate real soon! : )

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  9. I totally agree with you, with the temperature dropping you feel to be cosier and turn on your oven more often. I love all the goodness in these cookies, oats and walnuts, two of my favorite ingredients.

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    1. Thanks - I love oatmeal and crave a big bowl at least a few times a week (with honey!). If I eat old-fashioned oatmeal, I love it with nuts but I just have it plain with honey when it's the steel cut variety (my fave). I just made butternut squash soup this morning and I crave totally different foods right now that it's cooler. Cozy sounds real good!

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  10. These cookies definitely look delish. And love that it only uses honey, wow! I will need to try this--oatmeal cookies are my favorite kind! It's definitely a comfort food.

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    1. You're so right - oatmeal cookies are total comfort food. That's why I've been craving them - cozy and comfort is what I'm after right now with the cooler temps.

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  11. I absolutelyyyyyy love the fact that these cookies are healthy!!!! I loveee honey and use it to sweeten most of my desserts! And this is certainly such a great recipe!!!! Lovedddd it! And yes, cookies at any time of the year are welcome!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

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    1. I love a good honey and I really enjoy it with oatmeal. Glad you like them!

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  12. Love the chunkiness of these cookies!

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  13. I used to only ever bake cookies around Christmas, but now that I started a blog, I cook them almost every month. These look fantastic! I LOVE cookies with oats in them!

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    1. Yes - whoever invented oatmeal cookies was sheer genius!

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  14. Yum, I'm with you and love a bowl of comforting oatmeal and am definitely craving more stews and soups lately :) Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorite cookies and yours look and sound perfect with honey and chocolate chips! Your lil guy must be so excited to come home after school to all your scrumptious snacks :) Hope he is enjoying school so far and you are getting a little more "me" time too :) Have a great weekend Monica!

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    1. My son's been having some old-school cravings lately, I noticed...and I think we've all just got a bit of a heartier appetite with the cooler weather. : ) Thanks for checking in, Kelly!

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  15. Honey and oats are hands down two of my favourite things—especially in cookie form! Ah these look amazing. I can imagine the chewiness already.

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    1. It is a wonderful, simple combination. Love the guaranteed-chewiness of oatmeal cookies! Thanks, Irina.

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  16. Anytime is a perfect time to make cookies... specially if they look as chewy and delicious as these ones. Oats + honey?? That sounds like a combo I'd so have for breakfast ;-) I'll add these to my bucket list so I can make them next time that a cookie + hot chocolate craving hits (which will be soon, I'm always craving those).
    Have a nice Sunday, Monica! x

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    1. Thank you, Consuelo. Hope it's a good Sunday for you and not too much hard work. I hope you make some cookies real soon. I need to get my cup of hot chocolate soon, too!

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  17. I'm craving for these cookies now, with a side of chamomile or pumpkin spice tea. Yum :D

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  18. Can I have one please?? Or five?!! :) Look awesome!

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    1. haha. Yes - cookies are absolutely for sharing! : )

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  19. I'm drinking a cup of tea with... nothing! I so wish that I have one or few of these cookies. My afternoon would be much brighter. :)

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    1. That is so funny, Nami! I like a cookie midday sometimes but I do drink lots of tea throughout the day by itself. At night, I usually *need* a little sweet treat!

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  20. I am making these soon! These are my kind of cookie! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Yay - sounds great, Dawn. Who doesn't love an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie - they're always good, I think! : )

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  21. I agree: it's make all the things/crave all the things/eat all the things time right now. :) i'm going through the same thing here: i think i actually had a mini-food overload breakdown the other day when i realized that i wanted to just stand in the kitchen and make EVERYTHING for cold weather. Fall needs to be two seasons long. and yes: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are ALWAYS on the list here. one of mr. table's most favorite things, and i may make some for his birthday coming up.

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    1. I am finally settling down a little...a few weeks ago when it started to get chilly, I had a slew of cravings and they just would not go away til I made the food and ate them! It's warmed up again here so maybe that explains the settling down part but I'm still writing down all these meals I want to cook and eat. I'm glad I'm not alone! Happy upcoming bday to mr. table. I know he must have good taste!

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  22. Um, yes please! These looks so yummy!
    www.prettybitchescancooktoo.com

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