Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Crispy outside and chewy inside, these are wonderful chocolate chip cookies. You’ll never guess what’s in them.
In the food world, there are few things as elusive or sought after as the perfect chocolate chip cookie. This recipe from my friend Carrie might just have my vote. When she first sent it to me, I thought, “Geez, she sure threw the whole kitchen sink in there.” But Carrie is a great baker so I tried them, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better chocolate chip cookie. The secret ingredient? Actually, there are two. The first is oatmeal, which is finely ground so that it lends the desired chewiness without drawing too much attention to itself. The second, believe it or not, is coconut. Weird, I know, but you can barely taste it and it makes these chocolate chip cookies out of this world.
“Such a great recipe— I try all different kinds of chocolate chip cookie recipes and this one is definitely at the top!”
What You’ll Need To Make Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Adds a subtle nutty flavor and chewy texture when ground.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cookies. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cookies rise and become fluffy.
- Baking Soda: Ensures even spreading and browning.
- Butter: Provides richness and moisture.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Granulated Sugar: Contributes to the sweetness and texture of the cookies.
- Large Egg: Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor of the cookies with its aromatic richness.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Provides rich chocolatey bites throughout the cookies.
- Sweetened Flaked Coconut: Adds a touch of sweetness and chewy texture.
- Pecans: Introduce a crunchy texture and nutty flavor — a wonderful pairing with the chocolate chips.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, place the oatmeal in the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Process until finely ground.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla.
Beat to combine.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat at low speed until just combined.
Add chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.
Mix well.
Working with 1-1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough at a time, form balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them.
Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until edges of cookies begin to crisp but centers are still soft, 12 to 14 minutes.
Cool cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
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Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crispy outside and chewy inside, these are wonderful chocolate chip cookies. You’ll never guess what’s in them.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ground in a food processor or blender until very fine
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup loosely packed sweetened flaked coconut
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Adjust racks to upper- and lower- middle positions and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and vanilla; continue beating until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts and mix until evenly combined.
- Working with 1½ tablespoons of cookie dough at a time, form balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. (Keep remaining batter cool in refrigerator while first batch cooks.) Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until edges of cookies begin to crisp but centers are still soft, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Scoop the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 146
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 92 mg
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
Need some clarification on receipe. So, should I put 1st cookie sheet on top rack and 2nd cookie sheet on lower middle rack and then bake them for 15 min and then switch cookie sheets? Just want to make sure as I don’t want to burn them..
Hi SK, The first cookie sheet should not go on the very top position in the oven, but rather, right above the center position. The other one should go right below the center notch (and then, yes, you switch them halfway through). Hope you enjoy!
Delicious!! Love the consistency and that they are not so sweet. Thanks for another great recipe which I will surely make again.
Can’t believe how many mistakes I made making the batter (I softened the butter in the microwave too long and I forgot to mix the brown sugar with the butter & granulated sugar but added it after the cc) but these came out pretty good. Flatter than expected probably because of baker error but still yummy. My son ate 4 as soon as it came out of the oven. Probably snuck a few more when I wasn’t looking.
These truly are the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Just the right amount of chewy vs crunchy and absolutely delicious! I toasted my pecans beforehand, but that step was not necessary at all. I did not use parchment paper (I never do for buttery cookies) and they came off the cookie sheets with ease – very little cleanup. Great recipe!
Once again, Jenn Segal is a genius. When I had 25 exact cookies just like her recipe, that has never happened in my entire baking life. Jenn is an inspiration & this chocolate chip cookies are fabulous.
Yum! I made the recipe gluten free by subbing a mix of ground flax seed, coconut flour, almond flour and Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour for the one cup of regular. They were SO GOOD! They were a little dry the next day. So I just make a few from the fridge when I want a cookie.
Hi Jenn – would it be ok if I used unsweetened coconut? Thanks and love all your recipes!!
Glad you like the recipes :). I think the cookies may be a bit dry with unsweetened coconut — sorry!
I just made them with unsweetened as I didn’t have sweetened and they tuned out great !
Hello. I only own one sheet pan. Will it be okay if i refrigerate the dough while the first batch bakes? I only ask because while reading the other reviews there was one complaint about the cookies being puffy and not browning. You said it could be because of chilling the dough
It’s fine to do that, Torie. If you’re worried about the cookies being too puffy, you can just leave the dough out on the countertop instead of refrigerating. Enjoy!
Jenn, these cookies are amazing when we eat them just after they’ve cooled….but by the next day, they taste very dry (and we’re storing in airtight containers). Any ideas? Am I baking too long? I’m sure it’s user error on my end but wondering what tips you have? THANK YOU!
Hi Jill, Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Are you measuring the flour using the spoon and level method? Even a few ounces of extra flour can cause the cookies to be dry. You might also try reducing the baking time by a few minutes next time — that will make a big difference.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m using the spoon/level to measure. The only other thing I can think of is that I’ve been purchasing pre-ground oat flour instead of grinding my own. Might that make a difference and would I need to adjust the amount? THANK YOU!!
I don’t think that’d make a big difference, Jill. I’d just reduce the cook time a bit – that will help a lot.
If you put a couple of pieces of bread in the airtight container, they will stay soft.
This was the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Chewy and delicious. The coconut hating family even loved them. They had no idea what the secret ingredient was.