Chocolate Chip Cookies for Mom, a Recipe from San Francisco's Miette

I baked these cookies for my mom, to nibble on while she recovers from hip replacement surgery. After a three-day hospital stay, she was transferred to a skilled nursing residence. Unfortunately, she wasn't too happy during the first few days of her stay, and we're hoping things improve and she recovers quickly.

The recipe for these Chocolate Chip Cookies comes from one of my newer cookbooks:  Miette, Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop. Miette (French for "crumb") is renowned for beautiful, delicate cakes and pastries, and modern American interpretations of classic European desserts.

Chef/Owner Meg Ray explains her aim has always been to create simple cakes that allow you to taste their true flavors. To complement her cakes, the pastry case is filled with cupcakes, tarts, pots de creme, brownies, shortbreads, and a number of American and French cookie classics. Miette's cakes are small and elegant, and the cookies bite-size.

These cookies are filled with semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips, and a mixture of coarsely ground rolled oats and toasted walnuts, designed to achieve a crisp, buttery, and crunchy cookie. I read there were some errors in the measurements in several recipes, in the first edition of the cookbook, but Amazon has indicated these have been corrected and will be sending me a corrected cookbook. One of the errors may have been in this recipe, stating it yields three dozen 5-inch cookies, or 10 dozen "Miette-sized" cookies. My batch yielded a little over three dozen 3-inch cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Miette

Makes about three dozen 3-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 2/3 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the oats to coarse crumbs. Transfer to a plate, than add the walnuts to the food processor and pulse, 3-4 times, just until coarsely ground.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla and mix well. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Stir by hand, just until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Using a small ice cream scoop, or spoon, scoop out small portions of dough and roll into balls. Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and flatten the top of each ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake in batches until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.