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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My sister came for a visit, ate 8 cookies, took six home and ordered the cookbook the next day. They are pretty fantastic. These do not come out brown like you’re typical chocolate chip cookie so I had to take them out before I thought they were ready but they were perfect.
I have tried 4 of your receipies and loved all of them! Cant wait to try more.
So glad, Eric – happy you found the blog!
These cookies are very similar to a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie recipe I received from a friend years ago. The oatmeal really does add something special!
May I substitute 3/4 cup Oat Flour for the 3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats ground? I 💖 your inspirational & practical cookbook, so glad I bought it.
Glad you like the cookbook! 🙂 Yes, I think you’d be able to use oat flour in place of the ground oats. Hope you enjoy!
Dear Jen
I would like to thank you for the wonderful recipes you share with us.
I have so, far made a couple of them, and they all are absolutely delicious!
The chocolate chip cookies are so so so tasty. I do not have a sweet tooth, and would you believe it, I could not stop eating them, till they were gone (yes, I baked them for a friend, gave him as many as I could.)
With profound gratitude
Fanny
Lol – glad you enjoyed the cookies (and hope your friend few that he got)! 🙂
Do you think that oat bran would work in place of the oats? It’s already ground and might be higher in fiber.
I do think that’d work, Cheri – please LMK how it turns out if you try it.
Jenn, I made these cookies before breakfast today. They were so delicious I ate several while they were still warm. Guess I can say I had breakfast. (Oatmeal 🙂 )
Thank you for another great recipe.
Do you measure the oatmeal before or after grinding. In other words is it 3/4 whole oats or 3/4 c ground oat flour?
Hi Ann, Measure first, then grind. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I have been making your secret ingredient chocolate chip cookies for a few years and always receive rave reviews. (Thank you!) I just noticed that I should measure the oats before I grind them. Yikes! I always grind a large batch first to make the process easier and faster. So what does grind first then measure do to my results? Thanks for your ideas.
Hi Karen, Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about it – you’re probably using a tiny bit more than you would if you measured first but the difference is negligible. 🙂
These are great cookies and true to the description. They’re crispy on the outside and chewy inside. The coconut is a nice addition and adds to the texture and taste. I used unsweetened desiccated coconut which is finer than flaked, and I omitted the nuts because of allergies. This is a good basic cookie dough which could easily be adpated for add-ins other than chocolate chips. I chilled the dough overnight but not between batches. The dough for the last pan was at room temperature and I thought these cookies had the best shape and thickness. I noticed a tip on a few other sites to add lemon juice to chocolate chip cookie dough for a chewier consistency, so I did that. I’m not sure if it made a difference, but the cookies were definitely chewy! I used a #20 cookie scoop for a yield of 17 large cookies. They baked for 14 minutes.
Hi Jenn!
I love your new book. I gave one to a friend for her birthday, and of course kept one for myself. I am making a “Jenn” brunch when my daughter visits. Shakshuka, “boy bait”, blueberry coffee cake, and the strawberry and orange salad with the citrus syrup and fresh mint! Bagels, lox etc. so exciting!!
I also plan on sending my daughter home with these secret ingredient cookies. My question is… first I measure the oats, grind them, and measure again the ground oats to the equivalent of 3/4 cup?
Your recipes are amazing and inspiring!
❤️
Hi Donna, So glad you like the book – thank you for buying it (and I love that you’re using all those recipes for brunch)! And for the oats, you measure 3/4 cup first and then grind them. Hope your daughter enjoys!
Hi Jen! I’m a big fan. I make your recipes often, and I love receiving your inspiring recipes in my e-mail…..I think it must be fattening just looking at all those drool-worthy recipes!) I’m about to try the Secret Ingredient Choc Chip Cookie recipe but I would like to know if the oats are measured to 3/4 cup before or after they are ground up? (I think the final amount of the ingredient would be different, depending on when they are measured…..)
Thank you for your response!
That is so sweet, Toni – thank you! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes. For the oats, you measure them first, then grind. Hope you enjoy them!
I love this recipe so much. I have celiac so I make the following gluten free modifications: I use gluten free oats, 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour and 1/4 cup ground flax. They’re so delicious! My family devours them.
Thank you for sharing the gluten free version!