One of my most important jobs on the island is making sure the cookie jar stays fully stocked at all times. I am always trying to find a new, even more spectacular cookie recipe to wow the guests. This week I tried a new recipe from Barefoot Contessa: Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

  
These cookies turned out amazing! I really liked the combination of dried cranberries, bittersweet chocolate and old fashioned oats. The sea salt on top pushed it over the edge to downright dangerous levels of cookie addiction. I tried this recipe a bunch of different ways and in the end, I preferred a well chilled dough with a generous sprinkle of coarse ground sea salt. I used a 1 Tbsp disher and cooked in a 375 F oven on the top rack for 9 minutes and they came out crispy on the outside with a soft chewy center.

  
Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 pound unsalted butter soft

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 XL eggs room temp

1 3/4 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 pound bittersweet chocolate (Lindt) chopped

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. 

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again. 

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Don’t overbeat it! With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and cranberries until the dough is well mixed. With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

If you prefer cookies thin and crisp, bake them straight from the mixing bowl. If you prefer them chewy in the middle and crisp outside, chill the balls of dough.