Oaty Hot Chocolate Cookies

Back when I first moved to Brighton, I was lucky enough to share a flat with my good friend Ian for a few months while I got on my feet. It was winter and, living in the Marina, the wind used to groan, whistle and howl through the sails on the boats and we’d hear the sea roaring outside on the more ferocious nights.

Naturally, comfort food was the order of the day, and I happily obliged with weekly batches of chocolate chip cookies. They quickly gained a reputation from my appreciative housemate and since then, over the years that followed, the recipe has been baked many times and refined….and, incidently, Ian went on to date and later marry my little sister (no connection to the cookies, but she is also quite the cook!)!

The new recipe is influenced by my obsession with oat milk (seriously makes the best hot chocolates and addition to morning coffees!), and features heavy chunks of dark chocolate with hints of warming cinnamon. After just 10 minutes in the oven, the dough forms great crevices with a biscuity-crust, while the centre keeps luxuriously soft and gooey as you’d expect from a cookie. The recipe makes for about 30 or so, and, while they are kind of organismic served warm from the oven, the good news is you can freeze the dough. However, that said, I can’t promise that you won’t be caught stuffing the dough into your mouth with your bare hands (been there).

For this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 1.5 cups golden / blonde cane sugar
• 0.75 cups flour
• 0.75 cups cocoa powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Few pinches of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 140g roughly chopped dark chocolate (about three quarters of a standard 180g bar)
• Handful or so of mixed chopped nuts – I used cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds

If you like this Instructable, find me at www.FoxLovesCrow.com, where I have other tutorials including my Brighton Bake-off winning Carrot & Parsnip Cake recipe :)

Enjoy.

Heat the oven to 175 (fan) degrees celsius and line a baking tray / cookie sheet with greaseproof paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and butter. Add in the egg, then sift in the cinnamon, flour, cocoa powder baking soda and salt. Mix in the oats, dark chocolate and chopped nuts.

Don’t be afraid to get your hands involved at this point as the mixture will start to get thicker and harder to combine.

Make little golf balls of the mix and place on the baking tray / cookie sheet, slightly flattening the tops. They don't need oodles of space around them as they don't spread out very far like some recipes (see my pictures for an indication).

Bake for about 10 minutes - keep checking around this point...they should look like they've formed crevices and any visible nuts will be a little golden.

Be aware, they will still be soft when you take them out, but will firm up when they cool!

Once cooled slightly, remove from the paper, and let completely cool on a wire rack….or stuff the warm morsels into your mouth with a glass of cold milk!

I hope you've enjoyed this Instructable! You can find me at www.FoxLovesCrow.com.