Salty Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

The recipe title alone sounded so intriguing that I had decided to make these Salty Oatmeal Cookies before I read on and discovered . . . another roll-out cookie!

If Homer Simpson became a baker, he might yelp, "Dough!"

Tee-hee. I crack myself up.

Honestly, I tried to roll the suckers out, but this dough did not seem at all suited to it. The large oat flakes caused the dough to break apart whenever I lifted it. Thus, I was back to scooping and flattening with a floured glass bottom.

The recipe could use some more detail, frankly. Nowhere does it tell me how big each cookie should be, so there's no way I was going to emerge with three dozen cookies. Also, it would have been helpful to know how much these cookies spread before I crowded a ton onto the first tray.

So here's your warning: They spread a lot. Allow space.



Salty Oatmeal Cookies don't resemble the classic recipe off the top of the Quaker Oats carton. White sugar makes for a very light cookie, and of course, no raisins enter the picture. The cookies also lack the warm spices that make their way into many oatmeal cookie recipes in favor of plain, simple salt.

I elected to use kosher salt rather than table salt for gilding the cookies. I've read larger flakes are better accents, with the texture adding a little crunch. Plus, it's a bit prettier.



Tastewise? I don't know. I think brown sugar, with its more caramel flavor, would be a better base. The cookie flavor as is reminds me strongly of a honey-wheat pretzel, with a slightly sweet, grainy base and strong saltiness.

Not bad. I could see it growing on me. They're a decent snack.

Interested in this recipe? Check out a few other bloggers who have tried it:
Culinary in the Country: Trying to keep my hand out of the cookie jar . . .
The Everyday Gourmet: Salty Oatmeal Cookies

My recipe comments in [brackets].

Salty Oatmeal Cookies
Source: The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
Yield: 3 dozen cookies

½ cup (3¼ ounces) vegetable shortening
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1 large egg
1½ cups (6¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling [I used kosher salt for sprinkling]
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups (10½ ounces) rolled oats

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, and sugar until light. Beat in the egg. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda and stir into the sugar/shortening mixture. Mix in the vanilla and oats. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured work surface. Cut it into shapes with your favorite cutter, or simply cut it into squares or diamonds, using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with salt.

4. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they're just lightly colored at the edges. Remove them from the oven, let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.