Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

I made these cookies for a potluck, and they were a big hit! I’ve shared them with several groups of friends, and they are always a crowd pleaser. They are some of my favorite cookies, and I discovered them through a craving that I had for chocolate chip, oatmeal, and pecans in cookies. Smitten Kitchen has a great recipe for such cookies. The main difference between my cookies and hers came about through a mistake on my part. I went a little overboard on zesting the orange and instead of getting just a teaspoon, I zested the whole thing! I realized my mistake later, but after tasting the cookies, I was happy that I made it…and really, others have been happy too!

Start by combining the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the butter, brown and white sugars, and vanilla extract until the mixture is creamy. Beat the eggs in one at a time, and make sure you beat well after each addition. Gradually beat the flour mixture in.

Then I add the fun stuff! Stir in the pecans, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Depending on your preferences, you can be a little flexible on just how much of each of these you add, but I wouldn’t go too far over the amounts listed in the recipe list below.

After everything is mixed in, drop the batter by the tablespoon-full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I covered my cookie sheets with parchment paper to make cleaning up a little easier!

Bake them for 7 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees. The final and most important step is to enjoy (and share them if you can)! A trick I use if I make these just for myself: I make a batch of these, form the cookie dough into little balls, and freeze them until I’m ready to bake and eat them. I got this great tip from my friend who is the author of Life After Lucky Charms.

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• Zest of one orange OR as much orange zest as you can stand
• 1/2 cup – 1 cup chocolate chips