My Nana would bake all the time but would never really eat what she made, and while she clearly passed on her love of baking to me, she definitely did not pass on that habit. These are oatmeal cookies 2.o, not only are they chewy, but the coconut and chocolate take them to a whole new delicious level, which makes me eat lots of them.

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• ¼ cup water
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½teaspoon baking soda
• ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg, ideally freshly ground
• ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (salted is ok if that’s what you already have)
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (sweetened is ok if that’s what you already have)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Place the oats in a small bowl and sprinkle with water. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk/fork (if your mixer has a whisk attachment, use here).

Cut the butter into chunks and melt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the sugars, vanilla, and salt. Add the egg and stir briskly. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and blend until the all of the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add in the oats and blend for a few seconds until well distributed. Let the dough stand for 1 hour – trust me, this is important!

Preheat oven to 350^oF. Position racks on the upper and lower thirds  of the oven.

Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and place around 3 inches apart on ungreased or foil-lined pans (dull side up). Bake between 12 and 15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Use a metal spatula to transfer the coolies on racks to cool. Cool the cookies completely before storing or stacking. May be kept in an airtight container for several days.

Hint: before eating (if not freshly baked), warm up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds (depending on your microwave).