Someone asked me yesterday how I manage the day job, this site, cooking, hobbies and attempting some semblance of a social life, but I didn’t answer because the gritty truth is that I don’t. I’m horrible at time management, not because I’m a slacker so much as I lack an attention span of more than 12 minutes. Take tonight. I swore I’d leave work at 5:30, but left at 6:20 instead (still earlier than last night), I had planned to give you guys a pie crust how-to but instead flitted from one thing (side project) to another (Thanksgiving thumbnails in sidebar) and as usual it’s 11 p.m. and oh right! I haven’t updated yet today.
It’s not a complaint, mind you. Somehow it almost always works out in the end, so who cares if the path meanders? But I do have one rule only, and that is that I am not allowed to complain about being busy. Yes, I have done it before, but I try to shut down that line of thinking as soon as it happens, because I think it leads to revving motors in place/stressing about stressing/getting caught up in the act of being and not doing, oh, and also, it’s really boring to hear about. I mean, have you ever met a person not busy? Yeah, me neither.
Why go on about this today? Well, I was going to say that I’ve been meaning to share an oatmeal cookie recipe with you for some time but I’ve been too busy, but then I remembered I’m not allowed to say that. So instead I’ll admit that I haven’t shared one because oatmeal cookies range so widely from the thin and lacy to the thick and cakey and it seems impossible to make one that meets every single person’s expectations. And I hate being unable to please everyone.
Yet, somehow this one does. It’s not too thin and not too thick, soft in the middle but crisp on the outside. That’s not all the divides it straddles elegantly; it manages to be both grown-up–with orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves–but young at heart–with chocolate chips instead of the traditional raisins. It also distinctly reminded me of that season that has been all but canceled this year. Maybe if we all bake some, we can lure it back.
One year ago: No-Knead Bread
Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies
Adapted from Katy Sparks and Andrea Strong
I found the orange zest a little strong, as did many of the commenters on Epicurious, but Alex and the three friends I shared them with last week loved them just the way they were. I’d consider your own personal taste when making these, perhaps start with just a microplane or two of zest, and adding the rest if the batter tastes like it could use more. What, you don’t eat raw cookie batter? I’m sorry, we can’t be friends anymore.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.
YUM YUM Gimme Some!
Please tell me one of those bags is destined for Houston? *looks sad and mopes with big eyes*
yum! this will be a perfect treat for my family on christmas morning as my father LOVES oatmeal cookies!
i have a question for you! when you started this blog, did you have any idea that it would be where it is at today – did you hope you might get to this point. it truly is quite amazing and a great accomplishment. you should be quite proud of yourself!
cheers – off to chicago to enjoy some amazing cuisine and a lovely wine, cheese, and chocolate bar – it’s called eno – A-MAZ-ING!!! no charlie trotters this time though :0(
Wow, those look incredible! I love your blog, it’s so beautiful!
In “Cookwise”, Shirley O. Corriher has a description of how to alter cookie recipes to get them thick, thin, or in between. It’s a subtle tinkering and nobody else has ever made it make sense to me before. Highly recommend.
I love oatmeal cookies but for me it’s about the raisins. Baked-in raisins….mmmmm. They make any cookie rise to sublime for me. Although lately I’m really liking dried cherries in baked goods and chicken salads (either grilled or mayo’d). I’m rambling now!!!!
Welcome back!
yummy yummy
I love all the photography, and great job with blogging every day!! I don’t know how you do it – I still haven’t updated my “promise you folks a new recipe in a few days” for almost a month!
These look tasty. Maybe you should point others to this landmark study if they are looking to achieve your levels of productivity: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/study_finds_working_at_work. It’s definitely given me something to think about… ;-)
I’m not mad about orange zest, but oat meal cookies — Love ’em!
Don’t burn yourself out. Kick back and have some cookies, a glass of milk and watch a good movie.
haha, yeah, honestly I don’t know how I manage all of my daily activities/time either – but regardless, baking/cooking always takes priority :0)
I love the addition of pecans in the oatmeal cookies – have you ever tried them with carob chips? it’s quite scrumptious.
Hey people–Sorry for all the downtime today! Basically, my host has moved smittenkitchen.com to a private/bigger server which as you can see, is barely functioning, so there are a lot of kinks to be worked out, much to our frustration.
We are way overdue to move to a better/more reliable host as well as make a few other site upgrades, however, so if any of you know any top-notch WordPress gurus that want to work for a hopefully fair fee, tons of glory and possibly even baked goods, have them drop me an email. thesmitten [at] gmail [dot] com
And now, back to our regularly scheduled cookies. Mm, chocolate chips….
I’ve always put pecans in my chocolate-chip cookies because it’s how my dad likes them best. And if those bags aren’t the cutest things YET I just don’t know what is. Martha?
Orange zest, YUM! I like a little something tart to offset all that sweetness, I usually use tart cherries.
By the way, I have SUCH pixel envy, your photos are gorgeous.
yum these looks so tasty – chocolate chip oatmeal are my favorite.! I love those little gift bags. they’re so adorable!
tams – enjoy Chicago! Its my favorite :) eno is great but Bin 36 is my favorite Chitown wine spot. If you haven’t already, you must check it out. Sit at the bar and order a flight…or two!
I have to tell you how much I love your site. I wish I had had this recipe for oatmeal cookies a few days ago when I was busy baking for a bake sale. Your writing is so entertaining and engrossing, and I especially enjoyed your recent post on food photography. The photos on smitten kitchen are always quite lovely and their quality speaks for itself. Bravo!
If you’ll believe it, Deb, I just came online in desperate search for an oatmeal cookie recipe and thought to myself:
“Where am I going to look? Deb’s never posted one, and she’s my go to for recipes that I trust to turn out”
So I checked. And this post was here. I’m going to buy ingredients now ;)
Deb, if you find a more reliable host, please let me know. I use Dreamhost and they’re driving me bonkers.
Hi Radish — When I do, I will tell the world. I have increased my bandwidth availability by 1000% today (yes, 10 times) and its still on the fritz. We will be changing hosts very shortly.
You know that’s a mighty big promise to fulfill! If those cookies are as perfect as you say (and I love nearly ALL kinds of oatmeal cookies) then you may be proof that angels walk among us. If they don’t–well then, I probably did something wrong while making them and you might want to send me a bag immediately so that I don’t go on a rant. You wouldn’t want that, right?
You make me hungry every day at work…..I can’t wait to get home and make cookies now!
I feel like I have gained a few pounds reading your blog daily!
well, I use Yahoo for my host.. so far so good.. and my site is using a ton on storage.
I made these cookies monday night.. o-m-g. Tasty.
Glad youre back, i was worried. I was gonna offer to be your back up nablamopoyoyohoho for a day.
These cookies look delicious, I love oatmeal/chocolate chip combinations! I was just planning to make your blondies & adding choc. chips, coconut & some oatmeal & cinnamon but I think I’ll make the cookies instead.
Also, i’m coming to NYC next weekend to visit my sis and wondered if you had any restaurant recommendations for casual dining & yummy food. Ethnic suggestions (Thai/Indian etc.) are great too.
Thanks!
Amazing photos & delicious sounding recipe for a cookie I will love!
Niiice. Are those Martha bags?
YUM. Those just made me crave cookies! Must not look at food blogs when I’m trying not to eat dessert…
I LOVE those bags! Did you make them or buy them?
The bags are from Martha Stewart Crafts… I could spend all day drooling over that site. In fact, I just might.
I recently received a plethora of wonderful things from Martha Stewart crafts, like those bags. Aren’t they the best? I, too, could spend many an hour looking at them! Oh, the cookies look good, too. ;-)
Love your blog. I come on almost everyday to check out the lovely photos and your recipes. Hope you have time for a question. Your oatmeal cookie recipe calls for quick cooking oats. Is there a difference if I use rolled oats instead?
how should I alter recipe if I only have regular, old fashioned (not quick cooking) oats?
Cheng, lj — I actually think both will work. The old-fashioned ones might have a slightly more noticeable texture, but in my mind at least, that’s not a bad thing. Good luck!
Deb, you could seriously start a business selling the desserts you make. Just look at those gift bags!! I know you have a pretty great day job, but it’s a nice back up option just in case. :)
I went to the Design*Sponge Biz-Lady meetup last night in Chicago and someone had brought along these cookies to share. Other than hearing Grace of Design*Sponge talk about PR, the highlight of the evening was definitely this cookie. What a fabulous recipe. Can’t wait to try it myself.
So, I don’t even particularly care for oatmeal cookies. In fact, I’d probably never pick up an oatmeal cookie given the choice between that and any other kind of cookie. That being said, I knew I had to try this recipe the moment I read it. I made them tonight, omitting the orange zest (because I forgot to buy an orange) and substituting walnuts for pecans (because the store was out of bulk pecans)…and they are loooovely!
Also…I just got a KitchenAid mixer from, clearly, the best friends I’ll ever have, and this was my christening recipe…I’ve named him Duncan…and I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship (since I don’t think I can legally marry a mixer). Sorry, I know that was off-topic, but I also knew you’d appreciate my love of Duncan more than anybody else I know.
Now this makes me obscenely happy . . . I think I’m going to substitute chopped dried cranberries for the orange zest though.
This is my first comment to your blog after a few months of lurking and drooling over recipes. I made a batch of these cookies this evening, and they are quite possibly the most perfect oatmeal cookie! Grown-up taste, crispy outside, soft inside, and delicious. I used fresh Louisiana pecans and navel oranges for the zest, which made them even more perfect. My recipe made almost 4 dozen regular-sized cookies. Thank you!
Did anyone else’s turn out rock hard? I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Maybe I made them too big, because I had to bake them for 15-20 minutes to get them brown. I’d appreciate any suggestions–the taste is great!
I am now addicted to these cookies. Thank you. :)
i saw a link to this recipe on flickr and just made it. these are amazing! i think i might love you (in a non-skeevy way, of course). just added you to my blogroll and as a flickr contact so i can keep up with what you’re whippin’ up. thank you :)
I made these for an advent party yesterday and they got rave reviews as the ‘best cookies ever’. thanks for the recipe!
Oh my!!! I just made these today. I knew they were going to be good when I couldn’t stop eating the batter. Now I can’t stop eating the cookies. I love the orange flavor with the chocolate. Great recipe!
Just a question: Is there a trick to converting cookies like this into bars? Or just put them in a 9X13 and extra time?
I use a similar recipe from a very old Joy of Cooking and line a jelly roll pan with parchment. Press the batter (unchilled) into the pan by covering with wax paper and using a jar to roll it out. Bake for 15 – 18 min. Use a pizza cutter to cut into bars.
love love love your site. made these last night! I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar and almond slivers instead of cashews, and it tastes great.
This recipe is amazing! I made some changes and was able to create a 7-grain cookie without losing any of the texture! I swapped nuts for coconut and sprinked them with glittery purple sugar for my prospective little nieces.
You are a true wordsmith and recipe diva.. thank you so much for sharing these fantastic recipes!
:)
Oh my God! These cookies are amazing! I thought I’d tried them all but your recipe really makes the kind of cookies I like! I used 1 and 3/4 cups of brown sugar (didn’t use any white) and I didn’t have any oranges so I used the zest of one clementine. Used steel cut oats since that’s what I had on hand -I also had no nuts so I omitted those as well. I baked a bit longer too – I guess mine were a bit big. AMAZING! I LOVE THEM! Thanks for what you do!
Jennifer…….when the cookies are done they won’t “look done” (advice from Alton Brown). They should just be brown around the edges I think. Mine were chewy and crispy at the same time I think due to so much brown sugar……YUM!
Wowza!
I just recently found your blog and I am somewhat obsessed. You truly inspire… Honestly, when I read what you’re cooking, it makes me want to do it too!
And my husband thanks you for these cookies. :) They might be the best I’ve had/made. Just to change it up a little, I omitted the orange peel (didn’t have em) & added dried cranberries & chocolate chips. Ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing your culinary brain with the world!!
I made these without the orange and without the nuts and let me tell you they really are the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I refrigerated the dough over night (key!) and took them out of the oven looking “not done” and they just magically brown up just as you start to put them onto the cooling rack. Perfection.
Thank you Deb! These cookies are delightful. I made them for hockey night at my house and they disappeared. Vanished into thin air. All that was left of them was a few crumbs and some friends with chocolate around their mouths.
This is my first time on your website, found it through a search for brownies. Been here a long time, copying a few recipes by hand because my printer’s on the fritz. Really enjoyed my first visit, the recipes sound great and I had a good time reading your comments. I’ll be back!! Thanks!!!
I just made these – how delicious! Thank you.
I made this both with and without the orange zest. With the orange flavor, they’re an interesting twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. I’ve been known to devour dozens (!) of chocolate chip cookies in one day, but I think after two of these cookies I would be sated. That may be a good thing.
When I made these cookies without the zest, I found that the cinnamon and clove were getting in the way of my enjoying the chocolate and nuts. I quite liked the texture, though. I baked for about 14 minutes, and the cookies have a nice balance of slightly crisp exterior and a soft, almost cakey interior. Not too cakey, mind you. I quite liked the generous amount of pecans used here, and the more sparing use of oatmeal (my standby choc-chip oatmeal cookie uses ~ 2:1 ratio oatmeal to flour). I will make these again without the zest and without the spices.
Sounds tasty…I subscribed to your site just now. I look forward to more tastiness.
I tried out this recipe today and substituted dried cranberries for the chocolate chips–delicious and the cranberries go really nicely with the flavor of the orange zest and the pecans. They were a hit with my husband, too!
Deb I LOVE oatmeal cookies. However as tasty as these cookies are… and even though there is oatmeal in them… they are not oatmeal cookies. They’re missing the texture of the kind of oatmeal cookie that I truly enjoy. They are most certainly DELICIOUS with an excellent taste and texture. Thanks for continuing to post the most amazing recipes.
I am not sure that I’d say that they’re “not” oatmeal cookies. In fact, I think I said that “oatmeal cookies range so widely from the thin and lacy to the thick and cakey and it seems impossible to make one that meets every single person’s expectations.”
That said, I am due to put up a softer, chewier one. Look out for that in the next month.
Can i freeze the dough for these cookies? or should i just bake the cookies and freeze them?
You can freeze the dough. I always prefer to freeze the dough scooped and unbaked (can flash-freeze them on a tray, so they won’t stick together in a freezer bag) rather than baked cookies. That way, they always taste fresh.
Thanks Deb!
Hi Deb, Just baked these again swapping the amount of flour and oats. 1 1/2 cups oats and 1 cup flour. This changes the texture more towards what I think of as an oatmeal cookie while maintaining the balance of tastes and textures that make this such an outstanding recipe.
Saw a link to this on another website. These look great. I can’t wait to try them.
i just made these and they came out totally different. i think the reason is that i don’t have an electric beater so was unable to properly cream/fluff the butter. mine are super flat and chewy with crisp edges. still good though! i think they are a little bit too sweet, though, and would reduce the brown sugar content if i made them again. nevertheless, very yummy!
I’ve made these twice now, but with dried cranberries instead of pecans. They are, to my mind, the most perfect oatmeal cookie, in both texture and taste. I’ve handed out the recipe to just about everyone who ate them. Yum!
Deb, I made these cookies for the third time tonight and they are just SO good. I experimented and added about 3 planes of zest – truly yummy. Thanks for pointing us to this recipe!
these were pretty fantastic cookies,they would be a tasty fall cookie,with the orange zest and cloves and nutmeg,…really good cookie and blog! Thank You!
Oh my. These are the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. I did use less orange zest, and I omitted the cloves (just don’t like ’em). The texture is sheer perfection. Thanks, Deb!
Just had to say that these have become my *standard* chocolate chip cookie. I omit the orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves. But the ratio of fat, sugar, flour and nuts is fantastic. I do add a dusting of fresh nutmeg, although I don’t know if it’s enough to make a difference. I’ve got a batch in the oven right now!
these were good but i think the chocolate overpowered the oatmeal and spices. maybe i did my metric conversion wrong? i put in just over 300g of chocolate. i might try them again without the chocolate with just a few raisins instead
Hi there,
I just started reading and I am hooked. I made these cookies last night to take on cabin trip. They turned out wonderfully. I used dark chocolate chips and omitted the zest. They were a dream!
these look delicious. i was wondering if there was a way i could make these and substitute the butter for oil
These cookies are the most scrumptious thing I have ever baked! Thank you so much for the recipe! I’m addicted to your site :)
I made these without the orange zest (forgot to buy oranges) and they were still delicious. Everyone at the office liked them and my husband asked me to bake a separate batch for himself. I found your site by searching for a bread salad recipe (with roasted chicken ala Zuni Cafe) which was also fantastic. I am a loyal reader.
These were incredible. I VEGANIZED them with vegan buttery sticks, flax egg replacer and vegan semi sweet chips (which I think they are anyway). No one was the wiser! Absolutely love your site!!!!!!!
wow looks delicious. going to bake these today to give to a friend on wed. i was wondering if i should just freeze the dough and bake on tuesday evening to make them more fresh? sorry i’m kind of new to cookie baking.. :(
should have read the other comments before asking since my question was already addressed! :) Will scoop then freeze!
Hands down, the most delicious cookies I have ever made! Never will I go back to Toll House. I personally thought the orange zest was crucial to making these what they are…heavenly. It’s like a nutty Jaffa-Cake oaty experience. It was hard to not eat all the batter before baking these cookies. Thank you for this incredible web site! It’s very user friendly for a new baker.
I just made these and they are the most amazingly delicious cookies I have ever baked! I bake often – I bake cookies often. These are by far the most perfectly flavored cookie I have ever experienced!
Thanks for such a great blog! I consult it regularly for my baking and cooking needs!
These cookies are delicious! I’ve substituted the chocolate chips with 1 cup of dried cranberries. I think next time I’ll add another 1/2 cup of oats also. But it was definitely scrumptious as-is!
I’ve been a fan of your blog for quite some time now, but this is the first time i’ve ever posted a comment. I LOVE to cook, but the most annoying thing is following a recipe to have your expectations fall flat. The reason why I absolutely LOVE your site is because you actually made these dishes and take away the guesswork for readers of your blog. I don’t have to wonder if it’s going to be good. i KNOW its going to good. I love this site, because i TRUST your judgment.
You’re site is the first one I search when I’m in the mood for cooking something specific. If by chance it’s not on here, THEN i do a google search and go through the pain staking task of determining which recipe has potential. You keep the cook in all of us motivated! Cheers!
After a failed attempt at making one of making the thick, oatmeal cookies, I was a bit wary of trying this. This recipe is amazing! I replaced white chocolate chips with regular and added cranberrys and omitted the nuts (allergic). The final touch was using sea salt. Amazing! I felt like I did something right for someone who’s not much of a baker. Thank you!!
Smelled and tasted delicious!
I halved the butter and sugar in this recipe (I live in Germany, and I think the butter is different here or something, anyway, it works better with less butter and it is plenty sweet with half the sugar.) I also only put in 1 cup of chopped pecans, because 2 cups seemed like a ton to me (and I am a newbie with nuts in my cookies.) And I threw in about 2 handfuls of raisins to the mix. Tasty outcome! Thanks for the recipe. :)
Oh, and I left out the orange zest, because I didn’t have any. I didn’t miss it at all.
WOW. I also left out the orange zest, but regardless these cookies are amazing. Thanks!
yum – just yum. i didn’t use the orange zest…didn’t have an orange on hand and i decided to make these on a whim. but delish! thanks deb!!
I just made these, except I put homemade bacon in them instead of nuts!
Thanks for the recipe… I spent a while looking around for a good oatmeal-chocolate chip recipe and this is great. I add some chopped dried apricots to the mix, which I highly recommend if you’re an apricot lover.
Just found this website. Where have I been? I think I’ll stay here for another 12 hours. Love, love, love it.
Wow, these oatmeal cookies are stunning! I had been searching for a few days for a solid oatmeal cookie, and I knew I had found it when I had to wipe the drool off the side of my chin (j/k!). Anyhow, I just made these this morning and had the following substitutions: I added a little less sugar, a little less chocolate chips and only 1 cup pecans & walnuts due to underestimating what I had on hand. Next time I will add a little more oatmeal, and use the 2 cups nuts. Delicious!
hi Deb :) These cookies are great. I’ve made them 4 times now since I first found this recipe on your site. i’ve baked them with and without the orange zest, both very tasty but i think the zest tastes AWESOME in these cookies!
I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about shipping cookies…internationally. i’ve never shipped cookies before and i have no idea how to package or what the best method is so that they will stay fresh. If you have any advice, i would love to hear it! thank you!
I made these today with my kids…we all LOVED them. My four year old even liked the nuts and orange zest in the cookies.
I have made this recipe twice in the last week, and it is fantastic. I left out the cloves and I toasted and ground the pecans (to fool the family). I used about 1 tsp of the orange zest, which was perfect — just a hint of flavor w/o being overpowering. My family loved them, and the kids usually won’t eat oatmeal cookies. No one suspected the nuts, though you can taste them.
Made the cookies this afternoon. Didn’t have pecan nut and semi sweet chco chips so just used 5 oz unsweetened Hersheys baking chocolate chopped up and some raisins. Also used just 1.5 cup of sugar total. Still came out delicious. Best aotmeal cookies I ever made and so easy. Thank you!
This is the second time ive made these cookies and its now my ‘go-to’ recipe! We were out of pecans so i broke up half a cup of almonds and used that instead. Ive also added raisins to the last batch which, when baked, get extra sweet and chewy.
I just made these and they look nothing like yours. I followed everything exactly (except using 1/2 the chocolate chips) and they spread like crazy. I use an oven thermometer too. The edges were very golden and the centers very raw. I put the rest of the shaped dough in the freezer for an hour which helped a bit but still were not as thick looking as yours. They taste wonderful and even when cooled are nicely chewy with crisp edges. I think they just have too much butter or not even oats/flour. They were quite greasy on the bottoms and since freezing didn’t help the spreading I think next time I would add 1/2 cup more oats.
I woke up this morning and it was dreary and raining outside, more fit for fall than for almost May. I needed to make cookies for a friend and figured I could rely on your trusy site, and it worked out great! I had bittersweet chocolate, and I added a little orange extract and a little orange zest. They came out flat and chewy, with crispy edges. I think it might be my fault, I think my baking soda is a little old- but these cookies taste AMAZING. I had walnuts instead of pecans, and I have to say… it makes this dull morning pop!
Just made this to distract myself from finals. I used dark brown sugar (which made them a little more carmelly – delicious!) and left out the orange zest. A really pleasant surprise! Thanks, Deb!!
I just made these tonight, exactly as the recipe was written, and they were delicious! I ate 5 of them, if that is any indication of their deliciousness! The combination of spice and chocolate is perfect!! Thanks for the recipe.
Meagan, I had the same result. They still tasted amazing, but were very brittle and spread like crazy. I think I’ll add more oats next time as well.
Good cookies, we call them Milano Oatmeal Pecan. The orange zest gave them the right touch, thanks!
I made these last night with a few modifications: I omitted the orange rind and the spices, I replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour, I used chocolate chunks instead of chips, and I used 1 cup of pecans and 1 cup of dried cherries. They are beautiful and delicate and delicious!
The best chocolate chip cookies! The spices and zest are key, and really make all the difference. I omitted the nuts and was worried they wouldn’t have enough body to hold together, but with just an extra half cup of oats they were perfect.
tried these with white chocolate chips and raisins instead of pecans and they were fantastic! the dough is amazing.
I’m not usually a fan of orange zest, but I do like the combination of orange and dark chocolate, so I used just a pinch or so and it was lovely. That mild hint of orange somewhere in all that nutty, crispy cookie was just right. Thanks!
YUM! These cookies are fantastic!! I didn’t have any pecans so I had to go with walnuts, but they still taste delicious! I used just a touch of orange zest and it kept it from being too overwhelming and the cookies seem to be a hit! I’m loving all the recipes that I get from your site and Friday we’re having the mango slaw you added last week! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!
I have mixed feelings about these cookies. First of all, I didn’t want to deal with digging out some pecans, toasting, and chopping them (lazy much?), so I substituted with what was right at the front of my pantry: craisins. I’m not crazy for craisins, but with chocolate, I’ll eat them, so I went for it. I used 2 cups of chocolate chips (1 semi, 1 bitter) and 1 cup of craisins. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly–except I ommitted the orange zest. I considered replacing it with lemon zest, but in the end, I didn’t go for it. Anyway, the dough’s texture seemed a little off (a little too wet, but I figured that’s what two eggs do for you), and overall, there seemed to be very little to hold together the chips and craisins, but despite my concerns, I popped the first dozen into my oven. I can only describe the end result as devastatingly ugly, but very tasty. Deb’s pictures show pleasantly lumpy cookies, but mine were less pleasant and more aggressively malformed: puddles of baked oatmeal with chunks of chocolate lumped across the top. I’m going to attempt these again in the fall, when the temperature is less steaming hot and I can give it a try with nuts. That time, I’ll also use only 1 cup of chips and 1 cup of nuts, and maybe 1/2 a cup more oats, as others have suggested.
Delicious cookie, but mine were flat as can be. Any thoughts as to why? I only baked one batch at a time. Rotated half way through. But the goodies were lumped together near the center and the rest of the batter spread a bit thin, and much more than I expected. But, as I said, taste = fabulous. Love the touch of clove and nutmeg.
Mary — You might want to check out this post on why cookies spread and see if any reasons ring true.
I was craving an oatmeal, chocolate and pecan cookie. I looked on Epicurious and this was the recipe I thought I would try, but first I wanted to see if you had a recipe since I’ve never made anything of yours that I haven’t liked. And here was the same recipe so I took this as a sign. They were fabulous! My oven runs cooler so the first batch I baked them at 365 for close to 20 mins, then the second and third batches I bumped the temp up to 375 and they were baked in about 12 mins. They turned out just like your pictures. I did have to make one alteration and that was that I didn’t have enough pecans on hand so I used half toasted cashews. Also love that the recipe actually makes closer to 4 dozen. I’d like to try these at some point without the chocolate and just a mix of nuts, like pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, and cashews.
These cookies were great! I didn’t use the orange zest. The cinnamon was a nice subtle flavor…it was noticed by a few people but not too strong at all, it was a nice subtle addition. Just a heads up–the cookies made about 4 dozen medium sized (2 inch or so) cookies. I made them as instructed, so the recipe just makes a lot more than it says.
This is THE oatmeal chcolate-chip recipe I’ve been looking for! I loved the balance of the spices, the meatiness of the pecans and the orange zest was such a pleasant surprise! Thanks so much, Deb and I cannot wait to pass this recipe along to friends and family!
Tasty. I added fiori di sicilia and skipped the orange zest (none in the house) and vanilla.
I was craving an oatmeal cookie packed with lots of extra ingredients, and this one was a major success. These were some of the most beautiful cookies I’ve ever made. I did decrease the brown sugar a bit, used slivered almonds because that’s what I had on hand, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips. Just packed full of goodness. They shipped to east coast perfectly. Thank you for sharing!
My mother came home with a GIANT Costco sized bag of chocolate chips which I’m expected to turn into cookies. These were a great choice. I didn’t have any issues with the batter being wet, in fact I was worried it was a little too firm. They are chunky, and delicious. I did reduce the amount of orange zest to about 1/8th of a tsp, and even that is super strong. I would also reduce the amount of sugar if I made them again. I ended up with 3 dozen cookies, so half are frozen, hopefully they come out of the freezer okay.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Great recipe. I included the orange zest, but for a traditionalist it was a bit off putting. A very clever take on an old classic.
I just made these last night–with a few changes–and they were excellent!
1. I used about three “pinches” of orange zest, and it was the perfect amount.
2. I only had a cup of pecans, so I used a cup of shredded coconut to make up for it: YUM.
3. I followed the suggestion of others and used 1 c. of flour, and 1 1/2 c. oats, and the consistency was great.
Thanks for this AMAZING recipe! My batch, too, made about 4 dozen, so I flash froze 2 dozen so we can enjoy them through the holidays!
just made these last night and they were awesome!!
they remind me of Orange Milanos (which i love). I used tangerine zest so it tastes extra orangey!!
wow. that s all i have to say (i know im late to the party an all but..) wow.
good luck with the book. im waiting. :)
Can you used Crisco instead of butter?
Mmm, delicious. I think for the next panful I will add a little more orange (clementine, actually) zest and maybe a few more chips — I went light on those. Used a little less sugar than called for and a small proportion of whole wheat, just to enrich the taste (but I’m not sure you can taste it at all).
used walnuts instead of pecans…added craisins….scaled back on the nuts, chocolate, and zest…used 1 cup flour and 1.5 cups oats: all of which made 4 dozen of some of the best oatmeal cookies i’ve ever eaten! thanks, again, for adding another favorite recipe to my collection!
Immensely enjoyed these… Love your site!
I’m eating this dough right now, I can’t even wait for them to come out of the oven! It’s heaven in a cookie! Thanks Deb!
I added craisins and these were absolutely delicious. I loved the zest. I didn’t have an orange, so I used a clementine. Yummy.
I followed the recipe exactly, except I used old fashioned rather than quick oats. These cookies are fantastic! I made a different oatmeal/choco cookies a few days ago and find this one superior. I liked the teaspoon of orange zest. With a 6 day old balanced in the crock of my arm while baking, this recipe hit my hormone enraged craving.
The first thing someone said to me was, “there’s something in there… I can’t put my finger on it, but I can tell you that I like it!”. After I told her about the orange zest, she was sure that what was so great about them.
Awesome cookies!
These are insanely delicious! I made them without the orange zest since I was making them for my kids, too — but I’d like to try them with the orange sometime. I used mini chocolate chips since that’s what we had on hand, and they melted into one gooey, yummy chocolate core. I can’t stop eating these.
I’ve been making these for the past three years. Everyone loves them. I think it’s the combination of flavors. They are not your typical oatmeal cookie. The only changes I made was, I used old-fashioned oats and added 1/2 c. Mariana brand dried cherries. Thanks for sharing this wonderful cookie recipe.
I just made these tonight – delicious!! I only put in a scrape or two of the zest but you can definitely taste the essence. A new favorite!
I’m not quite sure where I went wrong, but for me they turned out v e r y thin and not very appetizing (although the toddler who made them with me loved them regardless). Perhaps I accidentally left out some flour, because when I mixed some more in they turn out more thick and chocolate chip cookie-like.
Delicious! I’m so glad I had a beautiful orange at home too, as I’d usually skip the zest part which – no more – was a great addition!
Deb, I discovered your blog just a few months ago and everything I’ve ever tried from it has been delicious. That sounds like one of those things people just say… but I really mean it, it’s just wonderful.
Whipped up the dough, buttered the pans, oven did some lovin, and voila!
Yumm yumm yum
Hi Deb,
I loved this recipe! Made some and froze half the cookie dough balls. My husband was impressed that he could have a homemade cookie in 10 minutes whenever he feels like it.
I would like to use this recipe to make white chocolate macadamia oatmeal cookies. Do you think I can substitue one for one portion of chocolate and pecans? Or should I use your salted white chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe instead?
Thanks!!!
-Charlotte
I see no reason the swap wouldn’t work in this cookie.
My kiddos just made these. We didn’t use orange zest, but they are still amazing. Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/larsonfamily/5849949993/
OMG……….soooo good when you swap out the chocolate chips for white chocolate..no orange zest in mine and they came out really yummy….oh I love LOVE your website use it weekly :)
I just have to say I love LOVE your webite!!! Oh and these taste even better when you swap out the chocolate chips for white chocolate….yummy!
i just got these out the oven and perhaps ate a whole tray of them!! my cookies were flat but i think that must be my destiny as i have never, ever made a batch of cookies which didn’t turn out flat!! the orange makes them amazing!
I have a batch in progress right now and they are wonderful! I used Cointreau instead of orange zest, as I seem to be out of vanilla (how is this possible?). Great recipe, thanks!
I haven’t even finished cooking these yet, but the dough is AMAZING. I can’t wait until they get out of the oven. Thanks for this great recipe!
Just made these and they’re amazing! I substituted half a cup of the flour for wholewheat and used chocolate chips and dried cranberries because I didn’t have pecans. Then ate a bowlful of batter. Yum.
So I made these tonight and they were delicious. However, we found them a bit sweet and lost the flavor of the pecans. If (who am I kidding… when) I make them again, I think I would use a little less sugar; perhaps 3/4 c brown and 1/2 c white.
Deb, I love these cookies, I make them regularly and people love me for it. One question… do you have tips for preventing cookies from spreading? I always chill my cookie dough thoroughly but I don’t use parchment paper. does that make a difference? Thanks!
symphonic — I have a bunch of tips. They don’t all work for every recipe — sometimes it’s the recipe that’s more prone to spreading — but in general, these are the culprits. Hope that helps.
Unfortunately, these cookies were kind of a bust for me. They taste great, but have the texture and constinency of a lacey cookie. Which isn’t what I was expecting. Kind of hard to eat right out of the oven so I had to let them cool on racks a long time.
I made them both right after making the recipe and after having the dough frozen for a few days. Used parchment and room temp (hadn’t been in the oven yet) pans. Both spread a lot and were again like lace cookies. Tasted great though but did not turn out like the pictures above. But again they were yummy to eat.
This recipe nailed the texture I was looking for: crispy on the edges, chewy and soft in the middle. The spice blend was perfect too, especially for the Fall. I agree with one of the other users that the chocolate overpowered the rest of the flavors (and this is coming from a chocolate lover) so next time I’ll use a little less. Otherwise, I was very pleased. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I hesitated to comment, since I’m one of “those” people who alters a recipe and then isnt happy, but… these were really great, but they spread.. a lot! I used a 1/4 cup of wheat germ and some whole wheat flour, but I suspect the spreading was a result of a very helpful 4 year and too much sugar. The caramelization effect is yummy though! And I cant wait to make them again. Oh, we skipped the spices too to get a simple cookie.
This was only my third or fourth time ever making cookies. As I was going I felt like I had probably messed something up lol However, thankfully, they turned out great! Thank you for such an easy to follow and delicious recipe. They were exactly what I was looking for and I hope to make many more to give my friends and family.
we came into a pile of pecans recently so i finally got around to making these. due to pantry shortage, i used dark brown sugar and the dough looked just a bit too wet, so i added 1/4 of ground pecan meal. the result? awesome pecan flavor. the. best. cookies. ever.
these came out beautifully! I don’t bake a lot but have a “cookie” challenge tomorrow with colleagues and picked this recipe. I chopped the pecans in the processor making a mix of finely chopped and larger, and used Ghiradelli 60% chips. They didn’t spread as much as others claimed. Also used Penzey’s Vietnamese cinnamon and grated orange peel, fresh nutmeg and the flavors are subtle and used Wessex Scottish Oats. Giving the cookie 12 mins. they came out with a crispy crunch light, 10 mins. were more chewy and chunkier looking.
Two thumbs up and thank you! Will get back on the cookie challenge results.
I made these last night for a party I went to this evening and they were AMAZING. They were everything I love in a cookie. The zest was such a nice twist–I only had nectarines on hand and they did just fine. They are definitely added to my go-to cookie list.
I made these today with cranberries instead of the nuts and some chopped up left over hershey kisses from halloween :] They were FANTASTIC! I made your snickerdoodles yesterday (I know two days in a row of cookies! I’m out of control) and was told by a couple people it was the best they had ever had. You’re the best thanks for the food reading therapy!
Super yummy! Didn’t add the zest and clove, and fell short of the pecans. Still had some amazing cookies. Picture perfect and this was the first recipe tested from Simtten Kitchen. Looking forward to trying more of your goodies!
I just made these tonight and they are awesome! Only added 1 tsp. of orange zest (was just enough!), only one cup of pecans, and 8oz. of mini chocolate chips (all I had). Still, turned out great! My daughter says she likes the mini chips better. Will give these as gifts – so gourmet! :-) Thanks for sharing!
I nust love the oatmeal.chc chip cookies awsome …… I do all the baking in the house…the chewy cookies are great. Made them all for football games
I just made these – LOVE THEM!!!! (Left out the zest, still fabulous!) Thank you!!!
Those cookies look too good! And thanks for sharing about your time management challenges!
Wow! Delicious cookies!
I wanted to have a little bit of everything in whatever I was going to bake tonight and these totally hit the spot. Soooooo delicious!
Highly addictive! My favourite.
I am baking these right now! I did not have any pecans on hand, so I left them out, and my first batch of cookies spread like crazy. I chilled the dough and added about a quarter cup of flour, and the second batch came out perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!
i stink at making cookies but these came out good and amazing!!!!
I admit that I did add a little coconut to these. They were some of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. My husband and I just ate 5 each in about 3 minutes…
I skipped the orange zest and the nuts, used 1/2 c of whole wheat flour and used steel cut and rolled oats added some cardamom and in what I am self-labeling total awesomeness, added cocoa nibs. I made them for an upcoming camping trip, and the cookies generally get used for s’mores.
Mmm with butterscotch and choc chips… yum!
These are just fantastic cookies. I’ve made them twice now. The second time I learned something, which is that if you add the flour and spices and the batter looks really dry, maybe you left out the eggs. And also if you add the eggs in after the flour and other dry ingredients, the cookies still turn out awesome.
YUM again! I made with all whole wheat flour plus the oatmeal. They do spread, but they’re still great!
I’ve made these cookies about 50 times now. They’re incredible and a family favorite. Don’t forget the zest — it makes all the difference.
Will you be coming to Rutger’s Prep on your book tour? My husband is Dick O’Connell’s son.
Thanks Moira — I would love to come back to Prep but I don’t think it’s on the schedule for this fall.
Just made these. Absolutely amazing and perfect for fall! I have to agree, the orange zest makes these outstanding!
Gosh you are just amazing! THESE COOKIES. Man oh man. I love the ‘surprise me!’ feature!
Don’t have too much of a sweet tooth, so I just made these with an extra cup of oatmeal and a spoonful of peanut butter. Pretty darned delicious.
Interesting… the last few times I made these they spread a lot. They didnt this time. Again, I had a few changes with the sub of 1/2c whole wheat flour, homemade brown sugar, and my add-ins were 2 cups of chopped up nut pomegranate pistachio mix with black pepper. They’re a really great base to build on. We love them!
OMG so delicious!! We all loved them…I left out the cloves and zest and they were perfect..this is my new go-to recipe..thank you:)
Just made these, they were fantastic and lauded by all! Great recipe – and I have tried many on the www – this is by far the best. Thank you!!
Another great one, Deb! I left out the chocolate and the zest, but added cardamom. These taste like chai tea in cookie form :)
For any vegans- this recipe is easily adapted for veganism by replacing the butter with Earth Balance and the eggs with pumpkin puree. Delicious!
Just made these delicious cookies, I omitted the pecans and orange zest and added 1/2 cup dried cherries. Yum!
I was underwhelmed by the cookies as drop cookies, but as bar cookies they were amazing! They froze perfectly and were delicious either cold from the freezer or microwaved for about a minute.
Skipped the nuts and zest, but added sweetened coconut this time. LOVE these!
These cookies are fantastico! I wish there was a rating system on this site because I’d give the max allowed. I halved the orange zest but followed everything else verbatim. Directions flavors and consistency were spot on. Orange still came through even at half the amount.
These are my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Thank you for the post! I don’t know if I’ll get tired of the distinctive taste the unusual (to me) spices provide, but for my first try I really love it.
Awesome recipe !! I’m crazy abou chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and have a big taste for nuts these are the perfect cookies!!! I used half of the orange zest and it was still a bit orangey so I’m making them again as I type with a but less and hopefully it’ll be the perfect amount !
Thank you so much for this perfect cookie recipe !!!
Browsing through your cookies recipes I found this one. I didn’t have pecan nuts in the pantry but had pistachios. Why not? :) I substituted the spices for cardamom only (as I wasn’t sure about combining your recipe’s spices with pistachios) and it was great!
The consistency of the cookies is really nice and everyone who eats them loves them. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Hey Deb, sadly even after chilling both baking sheet and cookie dough — and having used whole wheat flour for what I thought would be added sturdiness — these babies spread out so badly both in tablespoon and teaspoon size that each tray became accidental cookie pie…totally raw in the center :(. I appreciate the tips above re: adding more flour and/or oats, but could you please convert this one to metric so I can at least be clear on what weight of flour to add?? Seems like this is a pretty popular cookie that people keep coming back to since original publication so I’m sure others would appreciate the weights too :) Thanks!!!
Hi Jenny — Sometimes, it takes me a while to figure out that a comment is a frequent happening. For example, I just did a word-search for “spread” in these comments and it turns out, it’s totally not just you. I haven’t made these in years, when I did, I didn’t have huge spreading problems, but clearly others are. You can dial back the butter a touch, or, if you’d like, you could try my go-to oatmeal cookies.
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
They have raisins and sometimes chocolate chunks in them, but the same flavorings here could be used instead. Hope that helps. Sorry I just put two and two together about the spreading.
Chock full of everything that’s tasty and right in the world.
yum with 1/2 whole wheat flour, coconut and choc chips. SOO love this recipe!
I made them again but this time with crushed candy canes, choc chips, and little mint extract. I chilled them this time. LOVE this recipe!
Hi, that is so weird: I made them with the 8 tablespoons of butter and my mixture was so crumbly! I had to ball them up really good, but I had pecans and chocolate chips falling off every which way. I made about 60 small cookies. Maybe I didn’t fluff it enough?
I made these for a Mother’s Day care package last year and the moms loved them. I didn’t have a problem with them spreading but I was a bit OCD with rolling them into tight balls and flash freezing them right before putting them into the oven. I might try to roll them with less force next time bc I thought the texture was a tad too dense for my liking.
Great cookies even without the cloves, nutmeg, nuts (allergic) and the zest. (Also not a citrus fan.) Last but not least I also used dark chocolate chips! They came out perfect and I will definitely be saving this one in my recipe book. Thank you!!!!
Just made them-is there such a thing as beating cookie batter too much? I think I may have overdone-they came out a lil dry…
I especially appreciate this recipe because it calls for one cube of butter instead of two! Delicious and semi-sensible? I adore butter, but……..it can lead to “Butter Butt.”. Love this site!
I’ve made these cookies several times in the past couple months and they come out great! They taste amazing and freeze beautifully.
I was looking for a new oatmeal cookie recipe – and this one hit the spot! Thanks for sharing these brilliant recipes.
Fantastic! Love your website and recipes. I think the ground cloves taste wow in this recipe..I added a little extra. I used oat flour (just grinding up rolled oats in magic bullet…1 cup oat flour substitutes for 1 cup plain flour) and that worked well.
I had high hopes for this cookie! Admittedly, I am not a real fan of the basic chocolate chip cookie, which I find excessively rich, sweet and bland. I don’t like pecans so substituted walnuts. Pecans probably would have been better. The spices are undetectable, and the full amount of orange zest gives just a hint of orange flavor. I reduced the sugar to 1/2 C white and 3/4 C brown, and the cookies are excessively sweet. This is just not the cookie for me — no need to suggest changes!
This recipe is a keeper. (I didn’t use the cloves or the orange zest.) The batter was so addictive too!
We LOVE this cookie. Today’s rendition is with 1 cup of choc chips plus about 2 cups of crunched up Gravel Crunch (Rex’s Outrageoous Road Crew Crunch, look it up, SOO good!). Such a great cookie!
I have made this 3 times, and my husband couldn’t get enough of it. I did not use ground cloves or the orange zest, but at one time I added lemon zest and used white chocolate chips instead; the lemon and white chocolate taste so good togetheter. I love this recipe, thank you!
A comment to everyone who omitted the orange zest. I recommend you try the recipe again and use the orange zest! It makes the cookies so unique and tasty. Adventurous oatmeal cookies, yum!
I have been making the Rx for oatmeal cookie found on the box of Quaker Oats for over 30 years and insted of rasins I use Chocolate Chips and Walnuts. Its much easier then this Rx and a whole lot better…
Been using this recipe for YEARS!! My mom always used to buy the premade mix for choc chip pecan cookies but I turned her onto these yearsssss ago. They’re our family favorite! Although we do omit the orange, my bf doesn’t care for the taste. Thank you! This is my favorite food blog (along with userealbutter :)) and I can’t thank you enough for the amazing recipes you post. I’ve made so many things!
These are recently my favourite cookies. I made them again for a dinner party today and they were an absolute hit. Thank you for the great recipe!
made these last night and the only thing i would do differently is take them out of the oven when they still look a bit under-baked. how do i always forget that?
for those who had spreading issues: i stuck my batter in the fridge for less than an hour and had no spreading issue whatsoever. the batter was nice and dry.
finally made these again — my oats were not instant, so i toasted them a bit with the pecans before mixing them in. all i had available was TJ’s pound plus bars, so i did about half extra dark and half regular dark in small chunks.
kept my eye out and did not overbake this time. delicious!
These are becoming my “fall is HAPPENING” cookie, a transitional bake to bring in the fall spices. I love love love these cookies.
I baked them last night and my spouse, who has tried them before, declared that the orange was surprising but good, and then proceeded to eat like 6 of them.
These cookies never turn out until I use more flour and oats. I just forget with the first batch.
This is a very good recipe. It brings the best of both worlds together: chocolate and oatmeal. I first made these with the spices but no orange zest. My family felt the chocolate chips were overwhelmed by the spices.
Next I made them with no spices but I reversed the amounts for the flour and oatmeal. I also reduced the sugar by half. The were as sweet as they needed to be and they disappeared In what seemed seconds.
I made it with a bunch of different add-ins and made the cookies large for a bake sale. It made about 27 large cookies. Delicious!
Can these be made in advance and frozen?
I believe most cookies will freeze quite well in in air tight container.
Amazing! Perfect combination of spices and orange and chocolate. Liiiitle bit crispy, so I think next time I would cut the cooking time by a couple minutes. By the way, your recipes are always fantastic!!
These are perfect! Oh my gosh! The orange takes it to another level. I used one cup raisins and one cup cinnamon chips instead of the chocolate. I’ve never made a better cookie. Thank you!
I made a half batch of these today, with some modifications based on what I read in the comments above.
In the list below, the full recipe amount is listed first, with the half batch (or, what I actually put in the batter) in parens.
– 1.5 C sugar total, and I used coconut sugar (3/4 C)
– 1 C flour (1/2 C)
– 1.5 C oats (1/2 C)
– 1 C pecans (1/2 C)
I used bittersweet chips, and I omitted the orange zest & cloves.
They were delicious, though they did still spread quite a bit. I definitely had to let them cool on a rack before picking them up (thank goodness for parchment paper).
I was so desperate to make these cookies during my daughters nap time that I had to make some modifications and they came out spread flat. Wondered if you could give me a tip. I didn’t put pecans in, whipped the bitter cold until soft, and use half whole wheat flour/half all-purpose flour. If it was the four, what could I have done to fix it? They were delicious, even though the texture was off!
Hi Deb! I was commenter 185 on this and – somehow – just saw your response to my question from 2013! I’m Still an avid fan and reader :) Belated thanks for the tip to look at your other oatmeal cookie recipe to adapt with the flavors here, but I’m still holding out hope you’ll have an urge to update this to metric…the cookie of my dreams is oatmeal pecan chocolate chip, and you are my most trusted recipe source! Also thanks for your recent Instagram tips on baby food, as I am due in May!
Hei Deb!
I made these yesterday, they’re great! I followed the recipe step by step, and I am however wondering something: I was expecting them to taste a bit more like oats but they taste so much like butter that it almost obscures the other flavours! (orange, spices, even nuts…). Could it be because I used salted butter?
Thanks!
I made these last night with dark brown, coarse sugar instead of light, almonds instead of pecans, and chopped up dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips. They turned out AMAZING! The course dark brown sugar made the cookies even chewier but with a tiny sugary crunch in every bite. The consistency is perfect as well. I used standard old-fashioned oats and it came out just fine. Thanks Deb for another amazing recipe!
Just made these with walnuts and dark brown sugar instead of light. Also used about 3/4 of the bag of chocolate chips. Fantastic.
Can I use rolled oats for this recipe?
Yes, that’s what it’s intended for.
These are amazing! Followed the recipe, omitting the orange zest because I didn’t have an orange, and couldn’t be happier. The results are fantastic. Not too sweet, great crunch. Thank you SmittenKitchen! This one is a keeper.
I just made this (minus the pecans because I didn’t have any). It’s true that they have the potential to please everyone!
Perfect oatmeal cookies! I reduced the sugar (about 3 T less each of the brown and white sugars than what the recipe called for) and would advise anyone who, like me, doesn’t like their baked goods very sweet, to do the same. I also added a 1/4 tsp of powdered ginger, left out the orange, and used walnuts (about 1 c rather than two)– I think this is a great base that you can totally play around with to your liking with aromatics and mix-ins. It resulted in exactly the chewy-edged, soft-middled cookie I was looking for.
I only had a cup of pecans so I added what I had left of a bag of Heath bar toffee chips along with what pecans I did have. Used mini semi sweet chocolate chips. They are baking right now and smell SO good.
OK I just commented that I didn’t have enough pecans so I added some toffee pieces to get to the full 2 cups and they were in the oven and smelled great. I just had one – the toffee made them a tad sweet, but it’s a cookie! These are so amazing and the orange zest is my new favorite cookie ingredient. I used mini semi sweet chips. The next time, I might add something chewy and a little tart like dried cherries to balance out the sweetness. Soooooo good – oats, pecans and orange zest all go so well together. I love your site. Thank you for what you do.
Yum! Overbaked the first batch (I’m an American in Europe and the convection ovens they have here always throw me for a loop) but subsequently ate the whole first batch (cooled overnight and crunchier) with morning coffee so even burned they are good! Left out orange peel (didn’t have one), included spices sparingly (Italians I’ve met are very finnicky about cinnamon), reduced white sugar by 1/4 c and used 1/2 c whole wheat flour in place of 1/2 c white. Decreased chocolate by a few oz as I was all out, didn’t suffer. Overall love the taste of the pecans. Italian audience raved. Happy! Next time will try with a liiiiittle more oatmeal, because heart health, amirite?! Thanks Deb!!!
Made these for a school fundraiser as directed, minus the orange zest. Very tasty! I liked the added spices in the cookie. Also wanted to share that this dough freezes really well. I made the dough two weeks ago and scooped it onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a cookie scooper and froze the little cookie balls overnight and then gathered them into a big ziplock. When I was ready to bake this morning, I set the oven to preheat, took the dough out of the freezer and it thawed as the oven was heating. Perfect!
OH MY GOSH. I was looking for a cookie recipe that used a lot of pecans and I am so glad I found this. I made these tonight and just ate my first one, and it was phenomenal. I omitted the orange zest because I didn’t have an orange & don’t typically like that in a cookie. Also only used 1 & 2/3 c. pecans. Otherwise followed the recipe and will definitely be making them again! Part of me wants more oatmeal in there but it’s so good I don’t want to risk changing it in any way and regretting it.
Also wanted to add that when I tasted the raw dough it was too “spicy” for my liking… so I was nervous about the cookies. The baked cookies are not too spicy at all. They’re perfect.
I recently bought a food scale (that I LOVE, and don’t know how I baked without) — so can you please add weights to this recipe? I realize you posted it a long time ago, but it’s new to me! Thanks. –a loyal fan
I would like to second the request made in July for this recipe with weights. That would be awesome if you get a chance to do this. Thanks!
Turned out beautifully. I didn’t have quick cooking oats so I used old fashioned. I also drizzled them with melted chocolate. I was giving taking them to a cookie exchange. Don’t overtake them.
Can we have a moment to appreciate how utterly delicious these are? They are. Make them immediately!
My notes for when I make this again (which I will, because I’ve already made them twice and they are DELICIOUS!):
8tbs butter = 112g
reduced white sugar to 1/2c (105g)
1c brown sugar = 200g
1c wholemeal flour = 125g
1/2c all-purpose flour = 70g
20 grates of nutmeg
1c oats = 90g
2c pecans = 220g
12oz of chocolate is 340g, which is like $12, so I used 100g 70% chocolate and 100g (3/4c) of cacao nibs.
Deb, I hate to be a weirdo, but I have old-fashioned oats at home, not quick cooking as specified in your recipe. Would the cookies still turn out ok?
I think so, they’ll just have a chunkier texture.
Chunkier is a good word for a home cook. 😍 Thank you so much!
Amazing turnout. I hovered around 1.5 tsp of orange zest, so it was detectable, but I can see how it the zest could come on too strong if applied exactly as written. Made a batch of six just to test for last night, as it was late, and refrigerated the dough to finish baking later (at which time I expect booming flavors). Normally I do not bake immediately, as I like to give flavors time to meld in cookie dough, but the six last night did not disappoint. We weren’t pigs: we ate 1 each, but the cookies had great flavor despite the immediate bake. I may or may not have had a second cookie after my husband disappeared into the shower. :-*
Also! 2 tweaks: I found rolled oats hiding out in the cabinet, so didn’t have to resort to the old-fashioned, and I did half a teaspoon of Mexican vanilla (it was all we had) and half a teaspoon of almond extract. OH my, the mix of Mexican vanilla/almond extracts really undercut any fall-spice and orange issues I might have had, and just to make things interesting, I threw in a quarter cup of orange-flavored cranberries. Yeah, I’m that reader. I’m obnoxious.
Aaand toasted the pecans first. That’s the final tweak. Ok, I’ll shut up now.
I just made these and have a couple of comments. I thought they were too sweet and the orange was overpowering. If I make them again, I will adjust. My favorite oatmeal cookies still the Cooks Illustrated. I add chocolate chips and leave out the raisins in half the batch. Sorry!
I read this recipe a week ago, and couldn’t stop thinking about them. Today I had time to bake, and they were everything I dreamed and more. I forgot to get an orange, next time I’ll be sure to try it with the zest.
Please, help me find your recipe for one large oatmeal cookie, which I think had chocolate chunks in it?
I recently made this for work and it was a total hit with coworkers! It’s mostly a chocolate chip cookie w tons of pecans and a little oatmeal. I’m definitely making this again!!!!
Fabulous, we used half the amount of sugar and thought they were still plenty sweet. We didn’t have quick cooking oats but the boys enjoyed (over)-blending the old fashioned oats and pecans. We will make these again!
These are delicious! The orange zest and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg add a unique and welcome (almost mysterious) taste to the cookies. I made them as is, and love them! But my husband/guinea pig has requested to replace half of the chocolate chips with raisins the next time I make these. Thanks, Deb!
Still waiting for weights for this recipe too :)
Hey, we love these yummy cookies but two people in our office are gluten-free…how can I adapt the recipe? Thanks!
I made a double batch tonight with a few changes: less salt, because I used salted butter, less sugar (both brown and white, I did 1 cup white and 1.5 cups brown) an extra 1/2 cup of oats (quick cooking steel cut oats) and a 1/2 cup less of flour to make up for the extra oats, and just added a little bit of cinnamon to half the batter after I’d already scooped some out to see how I prefer my cookies, and did some semi sweet, some milk chocolate, and some mini white choc chips. The mini chips got totally lost, I don’t think I added enough choc chips overall, I felt the dough was still a bit to sweet for my preferences, my cookies ended up getting rather thin, and I found I prefer them with cinnamon. Over all delicious and you can’t go wrong making them. I bet the original pecans and orange zest and spices would make them more memorable. Looking forward to seeing how they are room temp rather than warm.
I made these on a recent snow day. They are my new favorite cookie! I loved the addition of the orange and made it with the amount the recipe states. Can’t wait to make them again!
I know this is an “OG” recipe, but I had all the ingredients without needing to buy anything so decided to give it a go. I stupidly forgot the orange zest, but even without it my quasi picky mom exclaimed this was THE BEST cookie she’s ever had. I’m thankful for your robust search engine and next time I will not forget the zest!
These are some of the best cookies I have ever made! YUM.
wow, Another timeless recipe I’ve just come across during my archive dive–I notice you update some with fresh pictures too, but leave the original recipes for those that prefer the original. Zucchini bread comes to mind, the new is for sure better imho :)
Anyway, I don’t think I will ever make anther cookie of any kind without some kind of citrus zest, sooo good and fresh tasting–and I intent to add orange zest to a great brownie recipe I have that starts with lots of browned butter, another idea you seem to endorse–
tltr, sorry–so much to say!
Hi, Do you think it would make a big (and bad) difference if I used old fashioned oats instead of quick oats for the cookies? Thanks!
Possibly the best chocolate chip-type cookie ever, not least because I magically had all the ingredients. Next time I might add dried cranberries.
I made them today with dark brown sugar, turned out great as well. Have made them many times with light brown sugar as well, loved them. I wanna try adding some shredded carrot instead of the chocolate chips someday, make them sort of a carrotcake-cookie. Not sure how that will turn out, but experimenting is fun!
Is it just me or does this taste like cookie version of a Negroni? 🥃
These are literally the best cookies I have ever made and now they are my go-to. Thank you for this easy recipe that packs so much comforting yet complex flavor into each bite!
These turned out awesome. I made a few modifications based on what I had on hand and preferred. Biggest change was that instead of butter, I used room temp coconut oil (room temp in Sacramento summer=melted; sorry). Only used about 1 1/4 cups brown sugar total. I subbed walnuts for pecans, and skipped the orange zest. Before adding chocolate chips I made a few with only chopped dried apricot, though most of the batch had both fixins. Baked for 11 mins and they are soft, chewy and perfect.
The orange is atrocious with the chocolate. It would be good with the chocolate left out. Luckily I added orange to just a small part of the batch.
Not my favorite cookie recipe.
Loved these! They are amazing. I only had a clementine so I used the rind of one clementine, which is very subtle. I’ll probably up the rind on the next batch. Even my husband who is a big baker, but not a big sweets guy found these quite good! Definitely a win!
Loved the flavor of these but they turned out very flat, I think my butter was too soft (even though I put the dough in the fridge for an hour before baking). I also used quick steel-cut oats instead of regular and the texture was fantastic, but that could also be why they flattened out. Still delicious, though!
These are my absolute favorite cookies on the face of this earth. They are exquisite in every dimension. It is hard for me to motivate myself to try other cookie recipes because they all inevitably disappoint compared to this perfect, platonic ideal of the cookie.
All my favorite flavors in one cookie. Prepared pan style 10×15, toasted pecans and oats while preheating oven, sprinkled with flaky sea salt just out of the oven, will add golden raisins next time for extra chewiness. Another SK fave.
Used dried cranberries instead of choc chips. Don’t skip the orange zest if you have one in the fridge. It is not at all overpowering though you can scale it back a bit if you’re worried. Zest grated fine on a microplane can stick together in clumps, so I grated it directly into the creamed butter/sugar and mixed a bit before adding the rest to ensure it would be evenly distributed. I suspect those offput by the zest ended up with clumps b/c it was added at the end.