There are two things in this world that I love more than life itself; chocolate chip cookies and donuts. I've never actually made donuts myself, although Alton Brown has me inspired to try it at home.
1 cup salted butter, room temperature (2 sticks, nuked for 15 sec.)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I recommend the good stuff, no imitations)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
1.5 cups wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1.5 cups baking oats
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1. Preheat the oven to 370ยบ
2. Whip together the butter and sugar until they are creamy and make you salivate.
3. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract until they are well blended
I always clean my beaters and sides of the bowl with a spatula after each ingredient is added. I'm kind of anal like that. You should be, too. Once you get to the dry ingredients, you have to be slow and delicate. Don't overmix, just blend everything together and put your mixing weapons down.
4. Next, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.
5. Add the oats and coconut until combined.
Two of my favorite secrets in the baking arsenal are the mini ice cream scooper and parchment paper. The little scooper looks like a melon baller (I bought mine at Target), and it's so much easier than using a spoon that the dough gets stuck to. It has a little scraper that pushes the dough out of the scoop. Using parchment paper prevents your cookie's ass from getting scorched. No one likes a burnt bottom.
Scoop the cookies out onto an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until they begin to lightly brown.
