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.

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.