Secret Recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies

By srumbel

To me, these Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies (with two secret ingredients) are the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.
Vanilla and lemon. Lots of vanilla… 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract plus a scraped vanilla bean. Lemon juice too… just a teaspoon. You don’t taste it at all, but it helps produce a chewier cookie. I suppose there is a third secret ingredient to share too… oatmeal. Except that you put the oatmeal in the food processor and pulverize it into an almost-powder. That adds a little twist to the dry ingredients.

So go ahead and continue your search for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe… refrigerate the dough for 24 hours, use parchment, use silpat, use insulated sheets, use jelly roll pans, bake them upside down or whatever… but if you try these, you might just wish to put an end to your search. Enjoy!
from recipegirl.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats regular or quick
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional, but totally recommended!)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, optional

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

Place rolled oats in blender or food processor and process until finely ground. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in mixing bowl.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, sugars, vanilla, vanilla bean and lemon juice. Add the eggs, and beat until fluffy.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, blending well. Add the chips and nuts (if desired) to the dough and mix well. Using 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie, scoop round balls with an ice cream scoop and place 2 1/2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container to keep them soft and chewy.

Yield:
2 dozen cookies