Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I know a lot of fans of oatmeal raisin cookies, but to me the raisins are a let down. That's why whenever I make oatmeal cookies, I always add chocolate chips instead! These guys are buttery, gooey, chewy, and are the perfect cookie for a treat jar.

To me, dark chocolate is a little more "adult" tasting but you can use whatever kind of chocolate you'd like for this recipe. Butterscotch chips would also be a knock-out in these cookies. My favorite time to eat them are when they come right out of the oven, but they will keep for about a week - if they even last that long!

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Servings: Makes 3 dozen

Prep Time: 45 min

Total Time: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 Tbsp vanilla

• 1 Tbsp molasses (if you don't have molasses, you can substitute another 1/4 cup of brown sugar)

• 1 1/2 cups of flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 3 cups oats

• 3/4 of a bag of dark chocolate chips

• Course sea salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar using a stand or hand mixer until smooth.

2. Add eggs, vanilla, and molasses and mix until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically while mixing.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, mixing well after each addition.

4. On low speed or with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the oats and chocolate chips until it is all incorporated.

5. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. I like to do this because it helps the dough hold together better in the oven. Chilling the dough helps to re-solidify the butter so the cookies don't spread as much, but if you like a flatter cookie, you absolutely don't have to throw it in the fridge before baking.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

7. Roll balls of dough (about the size of a golf ball) and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. PRO TIP: the dough will likely be pretty sticky, so lightly dust your hands with flour every so often during this step to keep the dough from sticking to your hands!

8. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Rotate the cooke sheets in the over halfway through the baking process so they brown evenly.

9. When you remove the cookes from the oven, immediately sprinkle the cookies with a little course sea salt (a little goes a long way).

10. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. If they seem super gooey when you transfer them to the rack, fear not - they will firm up as they cool.

11. Enjoy!