crisp salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies
It took me a long time to get an oatmeal cookie recipe on this site, and the reason was that most people really like oatmeal cookies, but they have a very specific view of what they should be. Some people like them heavily spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, others want them buttery and nutty and still others think that if they don’t have chocolate chips or large gobs of dried fruit, they weren’t worth the oats they were cooked with. To add further complication, 99.9 percent of oatmeal cookies fall into one of two categories: thick and cakey or thin and lacy, and oh, how it all made my head spin.
Well, meet the new category: thick and shatter-y, and you’ll have to make your own to believe it. They’re crispy, but not because they’re hard or because they’re thin but because they practically hollow out when they bake, leaving you with this… shell of an oatmeal cookie with rich bits of white chocolate scattered about and the tiniest flaking of sea salt on top.
Being not the biggest white chocolate fan and quite bored of every dessert coming with a fleck of expensive salt on top these days, I honestly didn’t expect anything this mind-boggling when I pulled a tray out of the oven, but I couldn’t be happier to be surprised. Now it’s your turn.
One year ago: Pickled Garlicky Red Peppers
Oh, and this: We’re on vacation this week, so will not be able to respond to any comments, (crossing fingers this won’t be the case) typos or questions until we return. But seeing how we’ve left you with dulce ice cream, macaroni and cheese and now these, I bet you don’t miss us at all.
Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
The original recipe didn’t have white chocolate in it, but it really works wonderfully in here. Even if you’re a dark chocolate fan. Watch out, use the good stuff and this may even convert you.
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped (not “white chocolate” chips; they’re almost always artificial. I am adamant about this.)
1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.
3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie
5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.
Oh, Deb. Of course we still miss you! Hope you’re having a wonderful time, wherever in the world you are. Can’t wait to try these!
I don’t know; I was planning to make the oreos this weekend. I *might* have to try these instead, even though I’m not a white chocolate kind of girl.
Hm, I hesitated about these because my husband doesn’t like white chocolate and the last thing I need is 6 dozen temptation nuggets. But 2 dozen is looking mighty doable…
OMG! Those look so good! And salted sweets??!! My favorite.
When are you coming back? From where-ever you are?
Oh man, now I really wanna make those, despite the fact that my husband and I swore to forego temptation for at least a week…. I hope you are enjoying Europe and the perfect weather!
That’s OK. You can try out my “Fake-Out-Eos,” my stuffed twist on the classic oreo. http://www.oatmealcookie.typepad.com
I’m putting complete faith in you. I’m of the cakey-dried-fruit-and-pecan oatmeal cookie family and I don’t really care for white chocolate. However, the salt part of the cookie makes me want to give it a shot. Wish me luck!
This was the first time ever I dropped everything I was doing to bake. I am currently eating one of these cookies (though sorry I made them with dark chocolate because I have an almost religious prohibition in my house again the white stuff.) Salt makes sweet stuff really good. Now I need milk.
I really like the description of these. They sound extremely flavorful. Alot of times, the oatmeal cookies that I try at bakeries are a little dense and yet not substantial enough to be thick, if that makes sense. Plus, I find them kind of lacking. But these sound like they have a lot of competing flavors like the salt and sweet white chocolate. yum!
These look so good. mrB loves flapjack, so I’m sure he’ll love these. I got all excited because I thought I’d be using up some oatmeal ground the old-fashioned way — by an East Anglian water mill. But no matter, we have plenty of rolled oats. Happy holidays!
I adore cookies but the hubby is very particular about sweets- these look like a Perfect combination though! On my Must Bake list.
These do look wonderful! I usually make my oatmeal cookies with tons of spice but this looks so much more appropriate for the warmer weather. I will definitely have to make these for our cookie jar next week.
BTW, isn’t 14 tablespoons equivalent to 1 3/4 sticks? Unless it really should be 1 1/2 sticks which would then make it 12 tablespoons. Anybody have any idea on which it should be?
I was pretty skeptical at the beginning, but by the end of your post I’m “sold” and am saving this for later use!
I don’t have any white chocolate, but right now I don’t much care and think I’ll whip up a batch of these. Though, actually, I don’t have sea salt either. My life, it seems so misery! But these cookies sound awesome and I don’t WANT to have to WAIT for them!!
you really think they top the homemade oreos? considering i’m pretty much obsessed with that recipe, i almost don’t believe it. i guess i’m going to have to try this recipe to find out!
Wow, those do look scandalously good. Looks like I can add macadamia nuts to it as well. I love white chocolate macadamia cookies.
These will be mine!
:o)
You had me at “shatter-y.” I have a very special favorite oatmeal cookie recipe, but I think I’ll have to try these, you know, for science.
This was one of those recipes that made me jump up from the computer to weigh the remainder of my white Bernard Callebaut stash. I had 7 ounces left- it was fate! They are oh, too amazing. Thanks so much for the continuing deliciousness!
The perfect combination of salty and sweet. I love sweet items that have a touch of salt at the end for a kick. My favorite is dark chocolate with salt, like the Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate covered almonds which are then coated in sea salt and raw sugar. Mmm, I’d love one of these cookies right now.
- The Peanut Butter Boy
I make very similar cookies with salted peanuts and dried cherries. The texture is stupendously good.. I can’t wait to try the oatmeal-white chocolate combo. Perhaps with some dried cranberries, too?
These look so good, but is it 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 cups) of butter or 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 cups)?
Thanks!
these look incredible! and i love white chocolate.
but i still have yet to try the oreos!
which to make!!!!? these kinds of decisions have to be well thought out
Merav and Jacquie
The correct butter amount is 14 Tbs or 1-3/4 sticks. I’ve made these before, without the white chocolate but with dried cranberries instead, and they are to die for! I’ll have to try them with the white chocolate as well.
The thing is, white chocolate gets a bad rap – but really, it is insanely tasty in baked goods – like you said, it kicks things out of top place. I made Blondies, leaving out the traditional regular chips (using only white) – and they were beyond anything. I will never make regular “blondies” again. So, I totally concur with using the often “tres gauche” white chocolate – because it is TRES delicious!! These look wonderful.
Any baked good described as “scandalously good” is a winning recipe to me!! those cookies truly do fit your description – yum! And thank goodness for vegan white-chocolate chips :0)
deb, these sound delicious. I have been neglecting white chocolate of late (something I ate much more often during the ten years I gave up cocoa) but this recipe sounds like a nice way to bring them back into my life and reminisce!
Thank you for my daily inspiration. Today I was planning to make more cookies for a friend who is in rehab recovering from knee replacement surgery. A few days ago I brought chocolate chip cookies for her and the nursing staff, and wanted to bring something totally different. Well, this post was all it took to get the creative juices flowing once again. Having made a version of these a couple of months ago (I LOVE Cook’s) I decided to not only add the “pure” white chocolate chips and “orange” flavored cranberries, but also a touch of “orange zest” as well. The results……………..Fan-tab-u-licious! Thanks again. You solved my dilemna!
Mark
I like them, they are sweet and chewy and crispy. If you like those though you might consider another Salted Oatmeal Cookie recipe that was in the Washington Post in June 2007 which are also great — perhaps even my all-time favorite cookie. They are slightly different — no chocolate, and they bake up soft, chewy, and dense instead of shatter-y, but very awesome. This variation is a welcome change though, thank you for sharing. :)
Cripsy, huh!! Sounds better than crispy. :-)
I think this may be the first thing I ever made from a blog the day it was posted. I used dark chips since those were already in the house… but the sea salt really put them over the top!!! Thanks!
I made them. They were awesome. Just like the mac and cheese. Maybe you should go out of the country more often :) Nah, I take it back!
I just made these… they are delicious but they didn’t rise enough… I think I put too much baking soda and made them too big.. But they’re good enough that I’m on my third one and I’ll make them again!
These are so good. I was reading Cooks magazine once while waiting for an oil change, and I saw this cookie recipe. I fumbled for a piece of paper, and wrote out the recipe. Having once had a subscription to Cooks Illustrated, I didn’t feel like buying the magazine (I was tired of “I started out with a teaspoon of salt, but the end product was too salty. A half teaspoon proved to be not salty enough. Three-quarters of a teaspoon ended up being the perfect amount.”). You’re spot on calling these a shell of an oatmeal cookie. Haven’t tried them with white chocolate though…I do have a big hunk of that in my pantry, and some of the oatmeal dough in the freezer. I’m sure I could defrost and knead it in. Yum!
It’s almost 1am now. I saw this recipe at 11:30pm. I really tried to avoid temptation. It didn’t work. The good thing is I didn’t run to the store and get white chocolate. I used dark as that was all I had in the house. Poor hubby, he had spent a few hours working out and it’s to waste after I pulled the cookies out. I also used a tablespoon cookie scoop and left them at tablespoon size. We like our cookies a little smaller, we can eat more!
I saw this recipe around 9:30 AM, and had whipped up a batch by noon. I swapped in bittersweet chocolate instead of white, but I think I’ll go with semisweet or white next time. There wasn’t enough sweetness in the chocolate to balance out that subtle bit of salt, but the texture was great! “Shatter-y” is a great descriptor for it, and I don’t normally like crispy cookies!
Thanks Deb, hope your vacation’s going great.
Oh, awesome. I love white chocolate, but the only white chocolate cookies I ever find are the kind with macadamia nuts – yuck. These sound amazing — I will definitely make them!
Wow – I ran right to the market to get real white chocolate, but all they had was coconut white chocolate, I think made by Lindt. I couldn’t be persuaded not to make these though, and I thought the coconut might actually go nicely in the cookie. This is now my favorite cookie recipe ever!! Wow – the texture is amazing – the caramelization is fantastic. The hint of coconut was lovely (just used the 3.5 oz bar in the cookies instead of the 6 oz called for, as the bar was almost $4.) I want to have other people taste these wonderful cookies, but it’s very very hard for me to share them. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
I can’t wait to give this one a try!! when my ovens fixed…..
WANT.
WANT NOW.
Oh, how perfect! I must try; putting it on my list! I have been printing and saving a lot of cookie recipes lately…
Hope you’re having fun. I have a request, though, for when you get back: can you please post some healthier stuff? I need to look good in a swimsuit this summer! ;)
Thanks Deb. I’ve also added coconut before, and it rocks!
Mark
Oh, how I love oatmeal cookies!
you had me at crispy and salted… anything else? i am going to need a tall glass of cold milk to go with these. beautiful!!
I got a Kitchen Aid mixer partly because of this blog so it goes without saying that I also made these cookies. EVERYONE loved them and I’m not much of a baker. I would have never thought that salt, white chocolate and oatmeal would have made such a nice combination. Delicious!
LOVE these cookies. I’ve made two batches since you posted this recipe. I added about 1/3 cup toffee bits to the second batch to up the sweet/salty combo. Highly recommend the addition. Thanks for this recipe!
Just made a batch of these (original recipe, without white chocolate or sea salt, although I think the cookies would support these add.s very nicely) as a Mother’s Day present, and they were very warmly received. The texture is perfect, crisp and light without being crunchy or hard, and is improved by refrigeration of the dough.
Wow, these look yummy! I want to just reach in and lick the beaters!
I love this flavor combo! I think I really might try these out…I might try adding dried cranberries to it! Yummy!
This is so going on the “to try” list. Have a great vacation! :)
These cookies sound delicious. I am going to have to make a batch this week!
So these won out over the oreos for the cookies of the week(end). I was just checking on the comments and the 14 tbsp vs. 1 1/2 sticks thing confused me a bit too – I used 14, but the cookies spread out to giant proportions, so I think next time I’ll use the 12. I also used 7 oz of chocolate (Green & Black’s comes in 3.5 oz bars, and once I start chopping…) But you know what, Deb, you’re right. These ARE better than the oreos. Thank you for sharing them!
Mark — Thanks for telling people the correct level of butter!
The recipe is now edited. While the correct butter amount in the original recipe is 14 tablespoons or 1 3/4 sticks, I’ve been scratching my head since we returned Saturday night, trying to remember whether I used that or 12 tablespoons! I am sorry, but I just can’t remember (I made these so long ago, then put them off so not to be cruel to those not eating flour on Passover, and then another week, and another…etc.) However, logic would stand that we should use the recipe as CI intended.
These look amazing! I just made blondies and I can’t keep my hands off them. This is next on the cookies-to-bake list.
i made these today deb. absolutely wonderful. i am in love with your site all over again.
I lasted a whole 2 days after buying a chunk of white chocolate before making these cookies. I think I’m growing as a person. Or it could have also been the fact that I made the macaroni and cheese. And could. Not. Stop. Eating. It. So happy right now. My first batch of cookies spread out a lot too, but I think it’s cuz I flattened them too much before baking. The second batch was perfect. Thanks deb!
Deb, these sound terrific (I’m a sucker for all things salty sweet), but, really, c’mon, you can’t just say the homemade oreos are squeezed out and these are in. What are the other cookies in your top five?
I used just the 1 1/2 sticks of butter since I had half a stick from something else, and my cookies were fine. My boyfriend was very disappointed that I wanted to use the white chocolate as directed since that was the one ingredient that I couldn’t use a vegan substitute for (unless I went with dark chocolate instead). Maybe I’ll indulge him next time. I also need to be a little less hesitant with the salt on the top.
I just made these cookies and used the 1 3/4 sticks butter, but they spread out to the point where they are almost like thin wafers! Any thoughts on chilling the batter a bit before putting them in the oven or should I just use less butter?
Good gravy, girl! How big did you make those cookies?? I only used the 12 tablespoons of butter (and didn’t miss the extra two, quite frankly) but came out with 3 dozen cookies of a perfectly respectable 3 inch size. I don’t want to think what 2 dozen would look like with the same amount of dough. You’re right though, these are fabulous cookies — thanks for sharing!
Your comments are making me worry that I used the 12 tablespoon level (that I’d mistyped) and not the 14 tablespoons in the original recipe. Sadly, I’m not going to know for sure until I get a chance to make another batch of these cookies, hopefully very soon.
As for the spreading, it’s hard for me to see exactly how much your cookies spread, but these are “spreaders” so to speak–probably end up 2 times or a smidge more of the diameter they started with.
You’re right, there are so many oatmeal cookie types to wrestle with. It looks like you’ve settled on a real winner. I love the white chocolate sweetness combined with the salt. And, welcome back! It looks like you had a lovely lovely trip.
If you say these are in your top five, I have to take your word for it. I’m not a big white chocolate fan either, but I love salty cookies. I can’t wait to try these. Some friends of mine and I are having a So You Think You Can Dance premiere party next week, and they expect new foods. These are entertaining the dancing troops. Thank you for saving me!!
I didn’t get the gorgeous hollowed-out texture, but I was still very pleased with the results. I substituted a handful of dried cranberries for white chocolate chunks, which was delicious. This also gave me an excuse to buy fleur de sel, which was fun (and really did make a difference in the cookies – I baked a control group because I’m OCD like that).
And for the record, mine came out thick and barely spread out at all! Interesting how we’re getting such different results from the same recipe…
Dang! What wouldn’t I pay for that little piece of dough under your finger…just pop it into my mouth…and leave none for the nits! Your pictures of Prague (sp?) are enthralling. Really, how come you’re not a pro photog? Or are you?
I made these yesterday and the are GREAT! Love the salt on top, love the crunch! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
with 3 kids under 6, 1 hubby, 2 dogs, and a huge passion for cooking that takes all of my “free” time … I never thought I would become so fond of a food blog, BUT your Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies did it !! I have been reading your blog and trying your recipes for a while now, but these cookies just took me back to my French grand mother and the summers spent watching her baking. THANK YOU and count me in !! ciao
these are delicious! i had to make mine with semisweet chunks (no white stuff on hand). loved them!
Wal*mart makes a white choc. chip that is really excellent. Its cheap too, 1.58 a bag.
This was the first recipe I’ve tried from this blog – and for once in my life, I followed the recipe to the letter (incl 14 T butter). It was FANTASTIC. I can’t believe how good these cookies are. I look forward to now making my way backwards thru your recipes. Keep up the fantastic work. And thanks!!
I made these yesterday and you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! These are AMAZING! I used the 14 T butter and they turned out exactly as you have pictured. They are so incredibly good despite the fact that I used white chocolate chips since I had them on hand. So crisp, chewy, sweet & salty. Just perfection in a cookie. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made these last night w/13 T of butter as a compromise and they were pretty darn good. They tasted a lot like the ones I always make (oatmeal and coconut, minus the salt) so I bet coconut would be a good vegan substitute. The salt was an awesome addition.11
Okay, I’ve been thinking about these cookies every day since you posted them. They might have to be my pregnancy-induced request!
OMG-I mean OMFG! I wanted to make these since I saw the post and finally got to this morning. My tongue is burnt b/c I couldn’t wait to taste them. They are the best cookie ever. I bow down before your baking altar!!! :) Seriously-off the charts good. Thank you!
I saw this post and I have been obsessed with baking these! Sunday afternoon I finally had my chance! Um….YUM!!! I can’t believe how good they are. Right out of the oven they are like caramel, then as they are cooling they have this yummy sticky texture…then fully cooled they are crispy and delicious. I’ll be making more of these for sure!
Mine were thin and chewy :(. They were still so very delicious; I’m a sucker for any sort of sweet-salty combo. I’m wondering where I went wrong to get the results I got? I am looking forward to making these again the right way!!
oh boy! I made these last night and they’re delicious! mine really spread and are very crispy, but I like them that way. The salt does it for me.. I love the combination of sweet and salty.
I made these, and they were FABULOUS, and I don’t even like white chocolate. :-) Thanks, Deb!
Made em! So unusually light and crispy for an oatmeal cookie! Wow, one of my new favs too! Thanks so much Deb for finding this gem! Love using my trendy french salt! Worked fine for white or semi sweet chocolate!
Made these using 12 Tbs rather than 14 Tbs butter and chilled the dough overnight. I used a 2 Tbs cookie scoop to form the cookies pressing each one slightly to flatten. They came out perfectly crisp and thin but not so thin they were wafer-like. I detest white chocolate usually but after all the reviews I had to try this and I’m glad I did. Without the Maldon sea salt they would be mediocre. In fact, I wished I’d been a little more generous with the salt sprinkles. Can’t wait to see how they sell at the farmers market.
I’m having trouble finding FLAKY sea salt. Has anyone used regular sea salt with good results?
ok, color me smitten. these were a phenomenal hit at the memorial day cookout!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/figandplum/2526381202/
deb = great taste in cookies.
I made these today and they are awesome. I love the texture. But I’m curious what everyone uses for the white chocolate. I used Ghiradelli and I’m not thrilled with the taste of it. Does anyone have other suggestions? Thanks!
Oh, and I haven’t found the flaky sea salt, either…
Erin – I have tried many brands of white chocolate (Ghirardelli and Callebaut included) and the ONLY one that I like is Lindt. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find (I too end up using the Coconut White Chocolate sometimes because it is just easier to find) and does not come in bulk (only the small 3.5 oz bars) but I have yet to find anything else that comes close in taste. Would love to hear about anyone else’s favorite brands of white chocolate as well. Can’t wait to try these cookies – they are on my “to bake” list for this week!
Wow – these look gorgeous. Definitely going to make them this weekend! One question – are rolled oats a must or can I use quick oats, or a combi of both? Just curious about the end texture, since I always associate rolled = more chewy vs quick = more crunchy. Any advice?
Actually, you must use old-fashioned, non-quick oats. If you follow the link to Cooks’ Illustrated under the recipe title, they discuss the different oats they tried for these cookies and were only satisfied with the results of the old-fashioned ones. (I believe the others spread a bit.)
They sound wonderful – I only have wheat flour – do you think they will still turn out?
Just made them and they are out of this world amazing.
oh, ps – i used green & black’s white chocolate, and was impressed. creamy and not too cloying and flecked with vanilla beans.
ah! all clear now – thank you :)
Please, everyone, don’t laugh — try Wal-Mart’s white chocolate chips. Nestle’s premium are a joke — just hydrogenated oils. Sam’s Choice white chocolate chips are made with cocoa butter, no hydrogenated oils, and are delicious. Read the labels and you’ll see.
Deb – Just made these with my 16 yr old daughter. We substituted dried cherries for the white chocolate, and went a tad heavier with the sea salt. These are a keeper! Neither one of us have been fans of crispy cookies, but these have converted us! Thanks for sharing.
Great cookie, made them twice already. Thanks!
I have been looking for a cookie recipe to make for my client’s birthday, and this will probably be the ticket. I’m going to try this and your other oatmeal cookie recipe and make one (or both!). I can see adding cranberries here too maybe. Thanks for the great recipes and this fun site.
Made these this weekend, so good! Mine made 4 dozen though?
i’m just waiting for the second batch of these to come out of the oven. It’s the first time i ever made the same cookies twice, but they’re sooo worth it! They’re simply amazing!
Thanks for the recipe :)
When I baked these last night (with 14 tbsps butter), mine also spread a lot and became very thin and delicate (and kind of ugly :-(). However, the caramellized-salty flavor is still really delicious, so I’ll probably try the recipe again another time. I’m waiting to see how they go over at the picnic I’m going to this weekend.
I just got back from the store and I think the white chocolate I grabbed (cocoa camino “white with cocoa nibs”) is gonna be so good in these. I’ll come back shortly to sing your praises I’m sure!!
They have been made and OMG SO GOOOOD!!!
They remind me of caramel corn. I don’t think this batch will last till morning.
Arg, I think I have proved that cookie recipes originating in the US NEVER work in the UK! My results were DISGUSTING. Like, inedible. They have a weird horrible chemically aftertaste. Any idea what might be different over here? I followed the recipe (I thought) to the letter, and used good chocolate (what a waste).
I really really want to make these cookies, but I’m having a very hard time finding real white “chocolate” that’s not contaminated with tree nuts (I’m allergic). I would love to know if anyone has any recommendations!
Hi Deb — I made these last weekend for a bbq, and they were an enormous hit. Everyone oohing and aahing and saying they were the best cookies they’d ever had. Mine didn’t come out too crispy, though — I’m curious how yours did? Also, I decreased the amount of white chocolate to 3.5 oz. (I’m not the biggest fan, but thought a little would be great), added 3/4 c. of raisins to the recipe, and sprinkled more salt on, probably about 5 flakes each. Really amazing. You can see the results at: http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/salted-oatmeal-raisin-white-chocolate-cookies-yes-salted/
- Claire
You were right about them being scandalously good!! I tried to keep myself from eating too much of them because I wanted to give my friends to try but before I knew it I had five of them as an afternoon snack. Love it!
I’ve made these cookies and am totally sold! I love them, thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Dear all.. please tell me why are my cookies some of them soft and some of them crispy? Is that because of I cut down the volume of sugar? I’m so confused..
I made these (again) tonight, and they were really great (again). I hardly eat white chocolate in anything, but it is really good in contrast to the salty cookie.
I think I had at least eight.
I thought butterscotch chips might be good too instead of the white chocolate, because they are pretty sweet. I may never try it though, because I like them they way they are.
My whole family is obsessed with these cookies after I gave them some that I had previously frozen when they came to visit. My mother and brother have both called me up on separate occasions to tell me that they had made them, and then eaten them all in less than a day. I used the Lindt coconut white chocolate too once and it was fine, didn’t taste coconutty or anything.
I hate oatmeal cookies but these are now my all-time favorite cookie! The salty with the sweet, crispy and chewy….delicious! I’ve made them a few times now and I’ve learned I have to make a double batch if they are going to last more than a day or if I’m giving some away.
Holy. wow. These are some mighty fine cookies. I DID make a double batch, because I knew I’d want to keep some for myself (after farming out a dozen or so to my students, colleagues, and my husband’s colleagues). I’m on a BIG salty oat cookie kick these days and this is a nice alternative to the “dense oatmeal raisin cookie rolled in salt” treat I usually get.
These are some amazing cookies! They are now on my favorites list (along with Snickerdoodles.) I didn’t have any white chocolate, so I used Heath brickle topping instead. Oh My! I have to ship most of them off to my daughter to get them out of the house! I could easily eat them all!
I made half the amount of this recipe and used proportionately less butter as well (85g instead of 100g), but would probably reduce butter even more by just a smidgen next time: to 75 or even 70g. Otherwise, the cookies were delicious (I didn’t have white chocolate but can just imagine these wonders with it) and the hint of salt on the tongue is inspired.
I just finished making these (and eating two immediately!) They are delicious! I used semisweet chocolate chips because I don’t like white chocolate. I used 6 oz, and it is almost too much chocolate. Next time I think I’d go with 4 oz. I ended up with 32 cookies. I was very skeptical of the salt, so I only put it on half of the cookies. Now I wish I had put it on all of them. YUM!
i am making these RIGHT NOW. no, seriously…they’re in my oven! can’t wait. (although i do not have any white chocolate, so i am opting to keep ‘em pure and simple this time around…)
gorgeous photos. thanks for the recipe!
~chanelle
I made these cookies this weekend and they are delicious! I live in rural Japan, which makes finding Western-style cookies an impossible task. When I showed up to a potluck with these in hand my friends nearly started crying. It was just the taste from home we all needed. Awesome recipe!
I made these, and made them again for work. They are fantastic.
crispy is misspelled though. :)
Forgive my pointing out a spelling error because OH MY GAWD those cookies were so good.
All fixed, thanks.
I’m not sure what i did wrong on this or maybe its the humidity in my kitchen (i live in singapore) but these cookies really spread and were very flat. They were good but not the consistency i would have liked.
My roommate and I enjoy in baking a new recipe every friday so this was a great addition to our list!!!!! We however, we did use white chocolate chips as opposed to shaved white chocolate annnd we also unfortunately were missing baking powder. BUT, we thought the cookies were sensuous!!! they really were fabulous, we cant wait to make them again!!!!
OMG! Saw this recipe last night and HAD to make these today. Very easy, very tasty, will definitely make again. I didn’t have anything other than regular ole sea salt and a salt grinder, but they still came out fabulous. BTW, Ghiradelli White Chocolate chips work very well (and are all natural). Can’t wait to share them!
My new favorites.. everyone LOVED them. I used the Lindt white chocolate coconut bars… YUM!
These were a huge hit (like all the dishes I’ve tried on here). I substituted the white chocolate for fresh cranberries (still have leftovers from Thanksgiving!) and it worked perfectly – added a little tart and brightness to the taste. They are going to make another appearance over the holidays, for sure!
Just made these for my annual Christmas cookie exchange. Last year I made some pretty good oatmeal cranberry cookies. I wanted to bake something similar this year, but with a little twist. I doubled the recipe and used cranberries instead of white chocolate – for something festive (yes, I know that contradicts some of what you were saying about traditional oatmeal cookies) – the salt worked really well with the cranberries! Yummy!
Can I just say, these are amazing! A friend made these for a cookie exchange recently (we found out we were both SK readers, and joked that we’d end up making the same recipe from here…). I couldn’t get enough — they were absolutely delicious. They did spread, but I liked ‘em just fine, and the salt totally makes it. Can’t wait to make a batch myself!
Ohhhhh, thank you so much for this recipe! I killed it with these oatmeal, salty nyoms nyoms for my family’s bake off:-)
http://www.sarahcentric.com/the-salties-reign-supreme
Thanks so much for the great recipes:-)
-Sarah
This is exactly the crisp cookie I was looking for! These are thin, not cakey cookies. I eliminated the white chocolate, and added dried cranberries. I made them in my new Cuisinart food processor. It ground the oats up a bit which I really liked. I plan to make these again and again. Thanks for the recipe!
ugh. cookie dough. delicious. last cookie out of oven is mine. yum is an understatement. if only i could think of a superlative for these crunchy buttery (my husbands description) disks of oven lovin.
i used a small scoop and made 5 dozen so i could feed a bunch of kids. still good.
Seriously these cookies are the most delicious thing to come out of my oven, ever. I followed the recipe exactly. I really dislike chewy/cakey cookies, and I’ve gone through many oatmeal cookie recipes in search of the perfect crispy, thin, buttery, not-overly-spiced oatmeal cookie and I finally found it! The sea salt really adds something special, next time I bake them I will be more liberal with the salt. Also, I wanted to add that I found good quality, reasonably priced white chocolate chunks at Whole Foods, under their 365 name brand.
Thanks so much for this recipe!! I love your blog.
These are my new favorite cookies :) I make cookies every week, and have looked for something different for quite some time. I have to add flour for high altitude, but they are truly wonderful!
i’m looking for healthy…olive or canola oil..low sugar or sugar substitue..but love the idea of salty sweet….any ideas for adapting…i realize texture will be different, but that’s ok?
I’m leaving this comment in case anyone ever has the same problem I do, that I can never get cookies made entirely with butter to be as fluffy as cookies made with shortening. For me, the all-butter cookies tend to spread out and get thin and crispy. Which, still delicious! Not really a big problem! But I wanted to see if shortening made a difference with these, so when I made them today I used one whole stick of butter and 6 Tbsp. Crisco, and lo, they were much more like the cookies in your photos. And just as delicious.
Great Web site!
I have attempted this recipe several times now. I can not achieve the “Hollow Crispy” in the picture. I have tried room temperature & chilled dough. Bottom third/middle third & top third of the oven. ( is there such a thing as a middle third ? ) anyway I digress. Thanx to 2/16/09 entry I’ll try half shortening. What AP flour did you use? ( Protein level ) Possible mixture of AP & bread flour to restrict the spreading? Any other frustrated Smitties out there?
these cookies are amazing if you substitute butterscotch chips for white chocolate, which I had a hard time finding in small town Ohio. I also sprinkled kosher salt instead of sea salt, and the smaller flakes added a lot. Love this recipe, and so does everyone I feed a cookie to!
I’ve made these…. TWICE. WOW. Fabulous, addicting, wonderful!! Honestly, I don’t even like crispy cookies, I’m a chewy cookie kinda person – but these are just FABULOUS. I didn’t have the “fancy” salt – and they’re great without it, too :)
White chocolate originates from the cocoa (cacao) plant, but it is not ‘chocolate.’ According to the FDA, to be called ‘chocolate’ a product must contain
chocolate liquor, which is what gives it the biter intense chocolate flavor (and color) to dark and milk chocolates.
Made these cookies today. The texture was different than those in the photo, more chewy, less hollow, but just wonderful!! My husband, who doesn’t like oatmeal cookies, like them too.
Once I stumbled upon your blog, I was hooked — I’ve saved a number of your recipes and tried out the first one — your white chocolate oatmeal cookies — today. They were terrific: oatmeal and white chocolate is an interesting combination. The hubby loved them, too. I made a full batch of dough, but froze half of the cookies prior to baking. Otherwise, we’re probably gobble down the lot!
Alison, a new fan of your blog.
Thank You Smitten Kitchen… They were yummy the only thing is that mine turned out kind of flat after they cooled… What did I do wrong? I will take your advice and stay away from white chocolate morsels… didnt taste as good
Hi Deb, just wanted to let you know something – I read your blog daily, but I never comment because other people are far more clever than me. However, you must know something: these cookies changed my life. I make them probably once a month, and have since last summer, and each and every time they blow me away. Half of the time, I don’t even get one, especially when I take them to potlucks. I just wanted to say thank you, because these are something that I will pass on to my grandchildren (once I get married and have children, of course), and although my future progeny will know them as MY cookies, you deserve full credit. Thanks again.
I made these last week and while the flavor was amazing, mine were also very flat and extremely crispy.
I tried these recipe today, mom loves the crispy oatmeal cookies.
These look amazing!
Hi. I just tried making these cookies… they turned out flat, like many of the other’s. I guess I should have read the comments section first – might try the shortening tip suggested next time.
They were still delicious though! :)
These were delicious, but I should have also read the comments first. Mine were pretty flat, but the chewy, (real!) white chocolatey-ness made up for it a million times over. These cookies are insanely awesome. :)
i can’t believe these cookies were posted a year ago today. they have been the most influential cookies in my life, the only cookie i have even pretended to be interested in since. i sincerely thank you for changing, no, revolutionizing my cookie enjoyment.
Great cookies!
Made this for the first time this week as part of a cookie ensemble I’m giving away as gifts to some folks. I wanted something that would be different from the other offerings (ginger cookies, peanut butter blossoms, standard chocolate chip), and these are perfect! Very crunchy (or “shattery”) and delicious. I added some dried cherries, too, and the result is a very unusual variation on the standard oatmeal raisin cookie.
Thanks for another winner, Deb!
Loved the recipe – my own personal twist was to add 1/2 c of dried cherries. The tartness of the cherries balances very well with the sweet and salty cookie. Try it.
I made these last night, I have to say DEEE-LICIOUS! I am defintely keeping this one and plan to switch the ingredients around a little. next time i will try adding the dried cherries Clare suggested, or maybe something else, who knows?!
This was the second recipe I’ve made from this site after stumbling upon it a couple weeks ago & was a little leery since I was not wowed by the Bourbon Peach Hand Pies. These cookies – WOW! I am trying to restrain myself from going into the kitchen and eating all 2 dozen. I used 2 T scoops and it made exactly 24 cookies, but mine were much larger than the photos and spread out quite a bit. The first batch almost ended up as one giant cookie. I used two cookie sheets for the last 12. Next time, I think I will barely flatten them with my fingertips.
I was leery when they came out of the oven, since they had thinned considerably. However, they had that hollow, shell-ness quality that makes the texture the best part of this cookie. They almost are like eating Pop Rocks, without quite the same explosion!
The white chocolate is a great touch. You barely notice the chocolate – it gives the cookies a nice sweet touch. I think using real white chocolate, instead of scary pseudo-chips, makes all the difference. I used 6 ounces of Ghiradelli.
I did not have flaky sea salt so I just used the kosher salt I had on hand. This adds a nice subtle touch that you pick up in the background.
Gotta run. . . I hear some cookies calling my name.
I stumbled upon this recipe months ago, and have made them quite a number of times. Everytime I make them everyone absolutely LOVES them and they have seriously become my all time favorite cookie. Thank you SO MUCH for the recipe! :)
Definitely the best recipe on the site so far!
Deb, you mentioned that this moved into your top 5 for cookies. Will you share the other 4???
Hmm… now I’m not sure I could choose. The World Peace Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Russian Tea Cakes would definitely be in there. There’s a Cookie Index over here, which I realize is now a bit out of date, but will hopefully give you more ideas if you’re looking for them.
HOLY. COW. These are amazing. I made these tonight…pretty much followed the recipe to a tee except I ran out of old fashioned oats and had to use 1/2 cup of quick oats… and then my grocery store didn’t have fleur de sel or whatever…so I just got some flaky sea salt. UM. These are great! I was so impressed. Getting a good white chocolate bar is a must for sure. My house smells like love. Thanks Deb!
Sound delish – Do these freeze for month or so like any other cookie recipe?
I made these tonight. All I can say is mmmmmm. I couldn’t find good, quality regular white chocolate, so I used Ghiradelli White Vanilla Bean Chocolate Squares. These cookies are so good!1
Tried these in convection oven and they did not spread — actually looked like the pictures! To be scientific about it, I also baked one in a regular oven, and it did flatten a bit too much — but still tasty of course.
These cookies are AMAZING! I’m so glad you posted these… I love classic, chewy oatmeal raisin… but my boyfriend doesn’t like cinnamon, nuts or raisins… and prefers crispy cookies(I tend to give him my burnt leftovers). He craves oatmeal cookies, plain… but I couldn’t just make them “plain”. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for~! I’m taking them to him tomorrow. I am positive he will LOVE them. :D Thank you~~
I just tried these, and they are amazing! I used a little bit more sea salt, and these cookies turned out rather larger than I was expecting! I was very impressed with the texture. They are chewy yet crispy. I can’t quite figure it out, but I love it.
I have a daughter in college and wanted to send her and her friends some yummy cookies. I have tried for over a year now to find the perfect cookie recipe. This is it! Everyone of her friends loves them and so do we. I am now Smitten with Smitten Kitchen! I am going to try the Peanut Butter cookies next. Yay!
Finally! A success with cookies!!!!
After the disaster with snickerdoodles, my craving for good home made cookies intensified to an unbearable level. This recipe promised more than a simple satisfaction: the white chocolate and salt combination teased the imagination; and its simplicity beckoned irresistibly. This morning, before breakfast, I walked to the store, got the maldon salt and chocolate and then had to force myself to eat breakfast first and bake later.
Well, now I am happily chewing the pieces that broke off while transferring the cookies to the cooling tray, trying to convince myself that crumbs and small particles do not have the same calorie content as the cookies.
These cookies are FANTASTIC!
I made a few tweaks:
1. Added a couple of handfuls of coarsely chopped, roasted macadamia nuts, because I think white chocolate and maca are meant to be together.
2. Dry roasted the oatmeal in a large skillet, on the stove top. It’s a trick I learned from my mother. It brings out the nutty, wholesome flavor of oatmeal and truly enhances the flavor of anything containing oatmeal. Just put all the oatmeal in a heavy skillet ( I use non stick), and roast it over med. high heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes, just until it starts turning pale golden. Transfer to a shallow cooling plate immediately, if you leave it in the skillet, it will burn, even with the heat off.
3. While roasting the oatmeal, I added to it a couple of tablespoons of finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, when the oatmeal was almost ready, in order to avoid burning them.
4. Used about 3/4 cup white sugar, instead of the whole. Next time, might reduce even more.
5. Used 4 ounces of chocolate instead of 6 and founded it to be plenty.
The addition of the nuts changed the structure of the cookies a little bit: they are not as hollow as in Deb’s photo. But it is still perfect: slightly crunchy without being hard, with just enough softness and chewiness in the center.
Couple of things I will take into account next time:
These must be baked on good quality baking sheets. I baked one batch on a cheap, thin one, and the bottom almost burned by the time the cookies were done.
Perfect timing is crucial: I think I prefer them just before the top starts turning golden. I found that if I let them become uniformly golden, when cool, they are crunchier than is desired. I liked the batch that was golden just around the edges the best. These were very fragile though. I had to let them cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before sliding them on the cooling tray.
All in all, this is a recipe that will go into the “Great Recipes” file. The only gripe I have with this particular batch of cookies (nothing to do with the recipe though) is that the chocolate has to be higher quality. I used Ghirardelli white baking chocolate and it falls short of the truly sublime level that these cookies can attain.
Oh, and they did not spread (unlike the unfortunate snickerdoodles)!!!! I did put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes after shaping, just in case. And I used parchment paper, instead of the usual butter/flour method, which I think also helped. Still, they must be baked in small batches with at least 2.5 inches between them, to achieve perfect round cookies rather than stuck together pancakes.
Thank you, Deb!!!!
Oh my, I just made these for a work potluck, and I must say they are beyond delicious. Mine have an amazing texture that definitely can be described as “shatter-y.” Also, I used Green & Black’s white chocolate. Yummy yummers.
I also put them in the fridge for a bit after shaping and mine hardly spread.
They taste like rich brown butter, caramelized sugar, and nutty, toasted oats! The crunchiness is so delicate, unlike most oatmeal cookies, which tend to be either cakey or tough and chewy. I had semi-sweet chocolate chips on hand, so I used those, but I would definitely try white chocolate in the future. I think finely chopped walnuts would be delightful too.
i made these this week and they are heavenly. i hadn’t read through all of the comments and used 14 tbsp. of butter (seemed like a lot, but i dove right in)…they did spread out over the pan…but whatever – i just cut my big sheet of cookie into squares. these are just too delicious for me care about how they look!
I made a batch of these and one sheet spread out, the others stayed perfect! The spread out ones are good, the thicker ones are wonderful.
As far as preventing the spread, I think the dough needs to be cooled first — I stuck it in the fridge for about 40 min between mixing and scooping. But one cookie sheet (the one that spread out) was resting on the stovetop, which was warm from the pre-heated oven. The cookie sheet that didn’t rest on the stovetop came out perfectly.
Also, next time I’ll probably add more salt and use dark chocolate. I used a block of Guittard white chocolate but found it dried out a little.
I really want to reduce the amount of butter as much as I can in this recipe, but don’t want to jeopardize the taste of my cookies. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would gladly appreciate it.
Thanks. :]
Hi Deb! I plan to try this cookie recipe of yours. I have wasted much $$$ trying out chocolate chip cookies (with macadamias, walnuts) and each recipe I’ve tried always ended in failure. The taste of these cookies were good, but they really flattened out! On behalf of all us not-so-experienced bakers, can I venture to request you to end our suffering of having to toil so much and see our work “pfft” before our eyes? I have tried many things based on advice given to get my cookies to puff up respectably but nix, negative no, they still failed to do so. Wonder if you might consider enlightening us in this area. THANKS!
I was making these cookies again and noticed everyone in the comments wants fluffy cookies. That blows my mind– I slam my baking sheet on the counter when the cookies get too tall. i feel flat cookies stay moist longer and taste more bakery-like. So what’s the proper cookie texture for these and other cookies? my attitude is, if i wanted something fluffy i’d make a cake.
I made three batches already. I first batch was fantastic, however I thought they were too greasy and too sweet. The cookies were thin – although super yummy. The second, I reduced the butter to 150g and used grated chocolate (Was baking late at night and didn’t want to be too noisy banging away at the chocolate bits.) They tasted almost like flapjack. Not enough butter – too dry. The lack of chunky bits of chocolate was a huge mistake. So that was a no no. The third time, 180g butter, 3/4 cup of white sugar. Chilled the dough overnight. Just perfect. Thank you Deb for the recipe.
Tonight, I came across this article from David Lebovitz’ blog: How to Prevent Cookies From Spreading. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/12/how_to_prevent.html
Just put the 2nd round in the oven… the 1st round is almost gone! These are wonderful! Thank you :)))
these are fantastic. made them for a party and they came out perfectly exactly as written. probably the best cookies i’ve ever eaten, and they taste even better after two days. i don’t usually like white chocolate, but if i didn’t know they had white chocolate in them i’m not sure i’d be able to identify it.
I made these back in spring and they were amazing. After tasting them, I think I was able to fool people into thinking that I actually knew what I was doing.
I wanted to ask what the difference is between using light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. I just used whatever brown sugar my mom had in that big unlabeled jar of hers. And when a recipe just calls for “brown sugar”, which kind should I reach for???
May — The difference between light and dark brown sugar is the amount of molasses within; dark has more, and a stronger flavor. If a recipe doesn’t specify, you can use either.
I have never cared for oatmeal cookies, but something about this recipe called to me and I tried them yesterday. As promised, they are delicious!!! I could eat these all day (help! the cookie jar is shouting my name!).
I made these tonight after thinking about them for like, months – OH MY GOD they are so good. Next time I’ll use 12 tablespoons of butter though – the 14 has them toeing the “too buttery” line. Very very minor complaint though – they are seriously amazing! Thanks Deb!
I had an interesting moment this afternoon when trying to make half a batch of these cookies. How do you use half of an egg? I assume you want equal parts yolk and white, but how do you do it?!
Hi Shelley — Yes, you can split eggs. Here is how.
My friends and I had a Christmas cookie party last week, and this recipe won hands down, not that it was a competition or anything. These cookies are delicious, and they do remain good days after. For what it’s worth the words “oatmeal” and “white chocolate” make my nose crinkle in hopes of finding a luscious plain-old chocolate-chip cookie nearby. But these are suprisingly and delightfully satisfying. Thanks for the recipe!
Just chiming in with the rest about how amazing these cookies are – many, MANY, batches have been made over the last couple of months, and like you, I have so many cookbooks and saved recipes that it is not often I make something even twice. These cookies are just that good, thank you!
I made these last weekend and they are fantastic, Deb – super delicious! My hubby’s coworkers loved them.
I made these cookies last weekend and they lasted about 2 days . . .we DEVOURED them! You are right, these are by far some of the best cookies I have ever tasted.
Oh my god I’ve never made anything off a blog 10 seconds after reading it…they’re amazing. Thank you for the fantastic recipe, I want to have them for breakfast with my coffee!
I splurged on White chocolate godiva bars just for this!
I made these but substituted the regular white chocolate with Lindt white chocolate coconut bars..-on sale at A&P two for $4.
I broke up two of the bars (but ate two squares). Let me tell you, coconut works wonderfully in this cookie recipe. As for the crispiness of the cookies, I think I like my cookies chewier but these were still wonderful and very easy to make.