Choose Your Own Adventure Oatmeal Cookies

Choose Your Own Adventure Oatmeal cookie!

I often bake and cook without a recipe (not a great habit for someone who runs a recipe website). So I like offering up recipes that you can make your own. Thus, the choose your own adventure oatmeal cookie! A really delicious, soft and chewy oatmeal cookie with a guideline for how much mix-ins to add so you can truly customize it. Don’t like raisins? Don’t add them! Love chocolate chunks? Go for it! Scoop them into balls and pop them in the freezer to bake and enjoy whenever you need a cookie. I hope you love them!

Choose Your Own Adventure Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of old-fashioned or rolled oats

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg plus one egg yolk

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1.5 cups of dried fruit (use your favorite, a mixture, or swap out for chocolate chips/chunks)

• 1.5 cups of chopped seeds and/or nuts (or you can use your favorite, a mixture and/or substitute flaked coconut or just more chocolate chips/chunks. Let your freak flag fly!)

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well-combined. Stir in the oats.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk until combined. Switching to a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture. When the dough is still streaky with flour, add in all of the mix-ins. Stir until the dough is just combined.

4. Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls and place on one of the baking trays. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour. Depending on the size of the scoop, this will make 12-30 cookies. At this step, you can place the balls in a zip-top bag and freeze some or all of the balls for cookie emergencies.

5. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the cookies with about 2 inches around them. Bake for 12-18 minutes depending on the size of the cookie. You will know they are down when they are golden brown around the edges and soft but set in the middle.

6. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Store in an airtight container for about a week or as long as they will last on your counter.

   Enjoy!

These Choose Your Own Adventure Oatmeal Cookies have dates, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, coconut, and chopped almonds.