Leftover Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Total time:  1.5 hours.

2 cups leftover steel-cut oatmeal
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, OR 1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and both types of sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and egg, mix until smooth. Add salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix until smooth.

In a small bowl, combine half the flour and all the baking soda. Gradually add flour mixture to the dough.

Continue to add remaining flour slowly. If your dough starts to become “dry” before you finish, stop with the flour and move on.

Mix in oatmeal. Fold in chocolate chips and other optional ingredients.

Spoon out dough by large tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.

Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets before moving to cooling rack.

Super moist deliciousness. Was it the cooked oatmeal? The shortening? I’m not sure, but my cookies were super soft, whether in the oven for 10 minutes or 18 minutes. They looked “undercooked” when I pulled them out at 13 minutes, but I found that 13 was definitely the magic number.

Be sure to let these cool on the cookie sheet before trying to move them, and if you’re using chocolate chips, make sure your spatula is tough enough to scoop the cookies off without ripping them in half.