Here’s my favorite oatmeal bar recipe. I use raisins and flax seed, toast the coconut, any type of nuts can be used but if you toast the nuts first (with the coconut) these are even more heavenly. I leave out the chocolate. It has a lot of butter (which isn’t cheap) but I think the amount can be reduced.
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged finely shredded unsweetened coconut
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled, and chopped
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and almonds.
Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on 2 lightly buttered large baking sheets (about 8 cookies per sheet), then gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position and rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 18 minutes total.
Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies in same manner.
• Toast nuts in a shallow baking pan in a 350°F oven until golden, 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes about 24 large cookies.
Comments from epicurious members:
A Cook from amherstburg, ontario on 03/14/06
This is by far the best oatmeal cookie I’ve ever made. I did omit the 6 tbsp. of sugar, the salt (used salted butter), and the coconut. I added 1/2 cup wheat germ and 1/4 cup oat bran to add some health! I make them twice a week. We are addicted!
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A Cook from Hilo, HI on 02/23/06
Wow! I’ve never been a fan of oatmeal cookies, but made this recipe because I was looking for an energy bar for my husband. I’m a convert now. I substituted raisins for the chocolate, toasted the coconut, added 1/4 cup flax seeds and used walnuts instead of almonds. Followed another rater’s advice and spread in 9×13 pan, baked at 350 for 30 minutes also, and ended up with the most scrumptious energy-packed bar cookies. I’ll be making this recipe regularly.