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.

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!!!!