Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Quick-Cook Vs Old Fashioned Oats

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are every bit as delicious as a traditional chocolate chip cookie. I like to stray every now and then from chocolate chip cookies and whip up a batch of oatmeal cookies. There is something to be said about sneaking whole grains into your child's diet without hearing any complaints. Choosing which whole grain to put in the cookie dough should take some consideration, but not to be worried about if you only have one particular kind of oat in your pantry.

There are three kinds of oats to consider when making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They are:

Steel -Cut: These oats are in their most whole form and make a very chewy cookie. When eaten as a breakfast cereal they can take up to thirty minutes to cook. The more a grain is kept in its whole form, the healthier it is for you.
Old Fashioned: Also known as rolled oats, these oats have been rolled and pressure cooked which allows for a faster cook time. This oat is still very close to whole and will produce a chewy cookie.
Quick-Cook : Quick cook oats are processed and cooked therefore losing some nutrients and flavor, and the fastest oat of the three to cook on the stove top. The flavor should really only be a concern when eating alone as a breakfast cereal. In oatmeal chocolate chip cookies quick oats will still produce a flavorful enough cookie since there are so many other ingredients that enhance the cookie. Quick oats will produce a cookie with a consistent texture.

Ideally, you should use whatever oats a cookie recipe calls for. Often the recipe will not state specifically and you are left to guess. In the past I have successfully used a rolled oat and a quick cook oat in my recipe depending on what I have on hand. Rolled oats, aside from making chewier cookies, make thicker cookies with lots of texture. I prefer to add raisins to a rolled oat cookie. A quick-cook oat produces a smoother textured slightly moister cookie. These oats are perfect for making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Both cookies will taste similar aside from whatever baking pieces are added to the dough.

Instant oats are completely left out as an option for cookies. These oats have been so processed and depleted of flavor and nutrients that there would almost be no point. I have never attempted to use an instant oat in my cookies. Since they usually turn into a soupy mess in my cereal bowl, I have never chanced it by putting them in my cookies. Not to mention how uneconomical it would be. Just how many of those little envelopes would it take for a batch of cookies?

Try this really yummy oatmeal cookie recipe.

Amanda Julander is the creator and owner of http://www.Choc-Chip-Cookie-Recipe.com; a web site dedicated to popular tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipes and the secret baking tips that make them turn out every time.

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