My friend Audrey is quite the baker, and one of the things she made for me recently was a batch of her oatmeal raisin chocolate-chip orange pecan cookies. It would be “everything but the kitchen sink cookies” but for the fact we didn’t have any shredded coconut in the pantry.
We did make a couple variations because the first batch we made came out rather dry. Turned out that the cookie just needed to be cooked a little less. They should be just lightly browning around the edges when you take them out of the oven, and still quite soft in the middle.
As they cool, they’ll be a little crispy around the edges and moist in the middle. Browning the butter first adds wonderful flavor to the cookies. We tried both browned melted butter and the more typical softened, creamed butter and the cookies made with brown melted butter were just better.
This cookie has a lot of character. If you like oatmeal raisin cookies, and orange with dark chocolate, and pecans, you’ll like this cookie. Feel free to leave out any of it (well except for the oatmeal). You’ll still have a great cookie.
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Orange Pecan Cookies Recipe
- Yield: Makes 16 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 16 Tbsp butter (2 sticks)
- Grated zest of one orange
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 1/2 cups oatmeal rolled oats (Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned, do not use instant)
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (can sub walnuts)
- 1/2 cup raisins
Method
1 Center rack in oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking pads. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2 Combine granulated sugar with grated orange zest, set aside.
3 Heat ten tablespoons butter in small saucepan, place remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large mixing bowl. When butter is nicely browned (see: how to brown butter) and has a nutty aroma, pour over the remaining butter and mix until all butter is completely melted.
4 Add the granulated sugar and orange, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the butter and whisk until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk. Whisk for thirty seconds and let stand for three minutes, repeat this process twice more until mixture is thick and shiny, this will enhance the flavor and texture of the cookies.
5 Working with the stand mixer, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated. Add in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, raisins and nuts and mix well.
6 Form dough into balls onto baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
7 Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the edges just turn brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
