Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut and White Chocolate

Growing up, my favorite cookies were always Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. There's just something about the chewy texture, mixed with the sweetness of good chocolate and a hint of spice that always makes me smile.

Last week, I had a craving for a treat (which was ultimately cookie dough, I realized), so I decided to bake. As, there was an abundance of oatmeal in our pantry and leftover unsweetened coconut from a recent thai curry I made, I decided to tweak my Mom's recipe a little bit. The result was a deliciously sweet, yet salty, crisp cookie that seemed somewhat fitting for the end of summer, early autumn weather.

For a little extra complexity, I sprinkled a touch of French course salt, known as Fleur de Sel, over the rounds of dough prior to baking. It made all the difference!

Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut and White Chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (very important)

1 cup packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 extra large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup flour

2 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut

12 oz. white chocolate chips, good quality

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended. Then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour, in thirds, mixing between each addition at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, and white chocolate.

Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Then gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position and rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 18 minutes total.

Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.