The Most Buttery and Crispiest Oatmeal Cookies!

These are the most buttery and crispiest oatmeal cookies! I have been on the lookout for crispy cookies, by crispy, I meant, totally crispy, crunch in each bite. My family does not favour cookies which are crispy on the outside and chewy inside, thus I seldom bake any cookies as most recipes are just that, crispy on the outside and chewy inside. On those times when I've made some chewy cookies, we do not have problem finishing it all up, as the recipes usually make a small amount, but it always ends with a request, "crispy cookies next time"! 

I found this recipe months ago, and only made it recently, for the coming Chinese New Year. This recipe was adapted from a lovely blog, Baking Bites, which I have always enjoyed reading. Nicole Weston is the person behind this lovely blog, and she has even authored a baking cookbook, The Baking Bites Cookbook. She got this recipe from America's Test Kitchen and has adapted it slightly by reducing the amount of butter used. The original recipe uses almost double the amount of butter! Gasp!!!

I have adapted Baking Bite's version slightly by reducing the amount of sugar by half, and it turns out great, not too sweet, just right! The original recipe uses unsalted butter and some coarse sea flakes is sprinkled over the unbaked cookies before they go into the oven. I have instead used salted butter and omitted the sea salt, both in the batter and for sprinkling. And I have used big flakes rolled oats, process them in the food processor until they are finely coarse. I have adapted my way of "flattening the cookie batter" before baking, which works out easier for me.

These Oatmeal Cookies are really buttery with a light crispiness in each bite, almost melting in the mouth. So  good! 

Here's how I made these cookies :  **

1. To make the cookies uniform in size, I have made a template by drawing 2-1/2" circles on a piece of large paper (the size of the baking tray). Place the template on the baking tray, and place a piece of baking parchment or silicone mat over it. 
2. To make sure that the cookies have the same thickness, I have scaled the cookie batter at 10 grams each. Place them on the baking tray, in the centre of the circle which is visible.
3. Have ready a spoon and a small bowl of water. Dip the spoon into the water, shake off excess water. 
4. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the cookie batter, in circular motion until the batter fills up the circle. Neaten the sides all around with the back of the spoon. You will need to dip the spoon in the water two or three times for each batter as it will stick to the spoon. Always shake off excess water for each dip.
5. Remove the template from under the baking parchment. The cookie batter are ready to be baked. 
6. To get crispy cookies, the flattened cookie batter should be quite thin.

Bake them at 160C for 15-18 minutes. I have baked two trays at one time, rotating the two trays at half time, and back to front. Bake until the cookies are brown. Allow cookies to rest on baking tray for two minutes. To remove cookies, it is easier to lift up one corner of the baking parchment gently and the cookies will come off easily.

Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat one (you will reach for the second one!) and store the rest in an airtight container. Makes about 60 cookies.

These are delightfully crispy! Great with a cup of hot black coffee or tea. I have already made this twice and would be making this again soon, the first batch (for testing!) are all gone. I'm keeping the second batch for the coming CNY and will be making another batch soon. I can see that I'll be trying this with some desiccated coconut in the future! Oh yes!

note : my changes in blue
Thin & Crispy Salted Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Baking Bites, who adapted it from America's Test Kitchen)
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit this)
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature (I use salted)
1 cup sugar (scant 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar (1/8 cup)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups oatmeal (pref. quick cooking) (I use rolled oats, processed in food processor until finely coarse)
approx 3/4 - 1 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. (I baked mine at 160C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until mixture is creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, followed by the flour mixture. Stir in the oatmeal, mixing just until the oats are well-distributed and no streaks of dry ingredients remain in the batter.
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and arrange on baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between them to allow for spread. Gently flatten each ball (so it is about 1/2 as high) with your fingertips, then sprinkle cookies with coarse salt. (I find that the batter sticks to the fingers, so I have used a spoon, dip in water ; refer to my instructions as above **)
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and cooked through.
6. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

OT8/12/14

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