Friday, January 16, 2009

A Great Chewy Oatmeal Cookie

Yesterday, Anna at Cookie Madness posted an article in The Olympian newspaper about an Alaska Airlines pilot who made some oatmeal cookies and brought a box full on a flight and shared them with those on the flight.   It talked about how the flight attendants were so excited about these cookies, because apparently they had had them before and they're good!  I must say, having flown on Midwest Airlines where they bake and serve fresh, warm chocolate chip cookies, this article caught my eye.  There really is nothing like feeling special  as a flying customer by getting fresh cookies while flying!  Well, this Alaska Airlines pilot makes some darn good oatmeal cookies and brings them on his flights.  He also gives out the recipe!  I was in an oatmealy mood, so I decided to make these, but by the time I'd finished, I changed things quite a bit!  The main ingredients are the same as the pilot's, so I am definitely crediting him.  This is a perfectly crisp and chewy oatmeal cookie with lots of good things inside!  Instead of just raisins and walnuts (which I LOVE), I made a few other changes as I was digging through my baking cupboard and finding things that needed to be used--some coconut,  Hershey's cinnamon chips, some Hershey's Premier White Baking Chips.  Here's the recipe from the Alaska Airline pilot and the changes I made are in italics.  I also only made half a recipe.

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Alaska Airlines Pilot Oatmeal Cookies, adapted (you can get his full recipe on the link above)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract   (1 teaspoon pure coconut flavoring--I was out of vanilla)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg (omitted)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, crushed finely

1 cup walnuts, toasted, barely chopped

1 cup raisins (omitted)

1  1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

(1/4 cup sweetened, coconut flakes)

(1/4 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips)

(1/2 cup Hershey's Premier White Baking Chips)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter and sugars until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla (coconut flavoring) and beat well.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix together.  Add oats, raisins, nuts and any other mix-ins and stir to combine.  Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 11 minutes.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.

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15 comments:

Amanda said...

Oh those look fabulous!

Pamela said...

YUM! I still need to find some cinnamon chips! Delicious add ins!

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmm. Maybe I should just fly to Alaska. I wonder if we'd get the same pilot? Plus, I guess I'd have to fly first class to get the cookies. Guess I'll just have to bake them.

Katrina, maybe you and I should start our own airline we're we serve cookies? How hard would that be?

Unknown said...

Wow...these look delicious! I'm MOST ASSUREDLY going to have to try them. Yum! Unfortunately, I can't find cinnamon chips here.

Megan said...

I love a good oatmeal cookie, maybe I'll whip these up tomorrow for my dad - it was his birthday yesterday, so these can be a belated birthday sweet.

Anonymous said...

They sound delicious! What a treat to get on a flight and have cookies when not in first class. Sounds wonderful!

Sara said...

These look delicious - would you believe that I still haven't tried cinnamon chips? I've heard so many good things about them too.

Anonymous said...

Those look absolutely delicious! I'll definitely be trying these this weekend with your yummy add-ins. YUM!

Maria said...

Oatmeal cookies are my favorite! I am loving these!

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

love the peeking chocolates...yum!

Darius T. Williams said...

Good looking cookies. I tried to make some cookies...let's just say they didn't quite turn out like yours.

I don't know why I can't bake for ANYTHING. I'm mentally challenged - lol.

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm! Those look GREAT! Think of what a friendly place the skies would be if all of the airlines had flight crews who brought homemade cookies to work and shared with the passengers!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Those look great.

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Hey Katrina, just read Anna's comment and I'm totally in on the airline idea. How hard can it be, really? They look really good, what a nice pilot! Your additions are also very yummy!

test it comm said...

Those cookies look so good!