Travel season is upon us, which got me thinking about cookies that travel well. Thick Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies are the cookies I trust to travel. You can pack them for lunches, car rides or box them up and send them to friends.
Years ago I made a batch of these for a friend who was stationed in the Middle East. I packed them carefully, worried they'd arrive as crumbs. Instead, I got word back that they survived the journey and that the troops loved them.
That's when I knew this recipe was special.
These aren't delicate, overly sweet oatmeal cookies. They're thick, sturdy, bakery-style oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies with roasted almonds, coconut, and just enough cinnamon to make people say, "What is that?"
They're made with butter (no shortening), and somehow they're still excellent on days 2 and 3. In fact, I think they're better after they've had a day to settle.
Why These Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies Work
There are a lot of oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies out there. Here's what makes these different:
- Almonds Instead of Walnuts -- I don't usually put almonds in chocolate chip cookies, but here they make sense. These cookies bake up thick and structured, so the crunch of the roasted almonds fits right in. I don't recommend leaving the nuts out. They're part of this cookie's makeup.
- A Mix of Bread Flour and All-Purpose -- Over the years I've tested different flour combinations. My favorite is a 50/50 mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour. The bread flour adds protein and structure, which helps create those thick centers and slightly crisp edges. If you use all-purpose only, especially King Arthur, that's fine too.
- Coconut for Moisture -- The coconut doesn't make the cookies taste like coconut macaroons, but does help with texture and moisture, which is one reason these oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies stay fresh longer than most butter-based cookies. If you absolutely can't find unsweetened coconut, you can leave it out and add extra finely chopped almonds. A reader named Fuzz (ha ha) did exactly that and had great results. Note: Sweetened coconut works too, but you may want to use less of it so as not to make the cookies too sweet.
- A Tiny Bit of Cinnamon -- a very small amount here enhances everything without announcing itself. It adds warmth without turning these into spice cookies.
Texture and Flavor
These thick oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies are firm at the edges, thick and chewy in the center, packed with bittersweet chocolate and nutty without being heavy. They're sweet, but balanced by the oats, almonds and coconut. They're the kind of cookies you break in half in the morning, eat another piece in the afternoon, and finish after dinner. They also freeze beautifully and ship well, which is how they earned their reputation in the first place.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Almonds
If you're looking for oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies without nuts, this isn't the recipe to modify. The almonds are part of what makes these cookies work. But if you want thick almond oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies that hold their shape, keep well, and feel just a little more grown-up than the average oatmeal cookie, this is the one.
Recipe
Thick Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks (230 grams)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (190 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (95 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon can use more if desired**
- 1 teaspoon plus a tiny pinch salt. Reduce to ½ teaspoon if using salted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 2 cups oats old fashioned type
- 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut (56 grams)
- 10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate
- 1 cup roasted almonds, slightly heaping (130 grams)
- Optional: A handful or so of butterscotch chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attached, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat for about 4 more minutes, scraping the bowl often.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, scraping bowl often.
- Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and nuts.
- Using a ⅓ cup measure as a scoop, scoop up about 18 mounds of cookie dough and set on a plate lined with plastic wrap. Mold each mound into a compact ball and then flatten slightly.
- Chill flattened dough portions overnight or for as long as you can stand to wait. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the chilling, but the cookies are better when made with chilled dough.
- When ready to bake, place on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Arrange oven rack so that it is in the top third of the oven, and bake the cookies for about 15 to 18 minutes at 375.
- Alternatively, you can just bake at 350 for slightly longer or at 325 for 20 minutes. I sometimes find that baking cookies in the higher part of the oven at a higher heat makes for thicker cookies, but ovens vary.
Alternative to Scooping
- Since this dough is so thick, another thing that works well is to scrape it onto sheets of plastic wrap, press it into one big or several small cylinders, then wrap tightly and chill or freeze until firm. You can then cut giant sections off and bake.
Anna says
Also, if you are using a phone you can just tap the picture and the red save button should appear.
Anna says
Hi Carol,
I'd love for you to post it ! To post it on your account you just move your cursor over the photo. A little Pinterest "Save" button should appear in the top left corner and it will open to your account. Please let me know if this doesn't work for your for some reason. Also, the search bar is near the top of the right column underneath the little blue icons.
Carol says
Sounds yummy? Can I pot this right to my Pintrist account? The Pintrist linc at the top of the recipe goes to your account. Usually it goes to my account when i want to save a recipe. I could not find it on your site. Do you have a search bar? Thanks!