The Very Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Toast the nuts: Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are toasted and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through. Do not walk away from the nuts towards the end of their baking time to ensure that they do not burn (it happens fast!). Immediately transfer the nuts to a cutting board and let cool. Turn off the oven.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Cut the butter into a few pieces and place it in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Continue to microwave in 15-second bursts, just until melted. (Alternatively, you can melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the butter is melted.) Stir in the coconut sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, vinegar, and egg until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until combined. The batter will seem loose and wet. Roughly chop the nuts, then add them to the bowl. Add the chocolate chips, then fold to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (for the best texture and most even baking, do not leave the sheet unlined). With a medium cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough by 1.5 tablespoonfuls, then roll into balls that are approximately 1.5 inches wide. Arrange the balls on the baking sheet, leaving 1.5 inches between each (you will have about 18 cookies total). With your fingers, lightly flatten the tops of the cookies.* Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown and just set at the edges and on top.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then gently transfer them to the rack to finish cooling completely. If the cookies are still too soft to lift with a spatula, slide the sheet of parchment paper or silicone mat, with the cookies still on it, off of the baking sheet and onto the cooling rack, leaving the cookies in place. Let the cookies rest a few additional minutes, then enjoy.

Pro Tips:

Not nuts about nuts? You can swap the 1/2 cup nuts called for in the recipe for an additional 1/4 cup chocolate chips. The cookies will spread more during baking, so leave them a little extra space on the baking sheet. I also recommend chilling the dough for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

No quick-cooking oats on hand? Make them yourself by pulsing regular old-fashioned oats 1 or 2 times in a food processor, until they are lightly broken up (do not pulse them completely into a flour). Measure the oats after you have run them through the food processor to ensure you have the correct amount.