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 Jen. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. I use your site very frequently and mostly everything turns out great. I am also looking forward to the book you plan to release.
My question for this recipe is I have some freshly shredded coconut in my fridge but your recipe asks for sweetened flaked coconut. Do I need to add more sugar in the recipe then?
Looking fwd to your reply… Thanks!!
Hi Vanita, Thanks for the nice words! I think the cookies may end up a bit dry with the unsweetened coconut.
The cookies were very good. The texture is crispy on outside and chewey on the inside as described, which I love. I think I’m not entirely crazy about the coconut in them (and I do love coconut) just not in my chocolate chip cookies, I guess. This is the 1st thing I’ve made on this site that hasn’t been 5 stars (for me). I feel a little bad! Ha
(From a Jenny to a Jen!) First, I have to say I love your site and your recipes. You always offer the STYLE and kind of things that I instinctively go for and like – and besides, most of what you ask for in ingredients is in my cupboard. Please keep going – I just love what you do.
Secondly, this chocolate chip recipe does look divine. Just wondering if it would be possible to substitute the pecans with pine nuts?
Again thank you so much.
Hi Jenny! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. I think pine nuts would be delicious. Please lmk how they turn out. 🙂
Hi Jenn – in the end I did go with the pecans (they were hard to find here) and am very glad I did. The result was fabulous and I won’t make them again because we scoffed the lot in a matter of days which isn’t too good for people meant to be on a diet!! (Ok it was Valentine’s Day…) Just joking, but I wanted to thank you. They were wonderful.
Will these cookies still turn out good with butterscotch chips? I don’t have chocolate chips at the moment…
Definitely!
I find using the large size chips or chocolate chunks works best.
These are the BEST cookies ever! My family loves them and anyone I make them for say they are simply the best cookies. Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe!!!
Can you make a more chocolatey version of this by adding cocoa powder or melted bittersweet chocolate? What adjustments would need to be made? Thanks!
I wouldn’t suggest cocoa powder here. If you add bittersweet chocolate, I would use a chocolate bar and chop it into chunks to add (as opposed to melting it). If you’re a chocoholic, you may also like these Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans.
Just finished making these and they are perfect. The only thing we did differently was put in food coloring at my children’s request.We will make these again.
Hi Jenn – My chocolate chip cookies tasted great and were wonderfully chewy. My question is that they were flatter than the cookies in your photo and when I rolled them into balls, the dough was sticky. I wonder if it was because I softened the butter too much. Any ideas? Thank you for your insight, Karen
Hi Karen, Yes, that’s likely the reason. If it happens again, just chill the dough a bit before baking.
Perfection. Heaven on Earth. You name it. Hubby loved it! Thank you, chef.