Extra Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

When it comes to cookies, I generally prefer them soft, thick, and chewy. But for some reason, this past weekend I was craving thin, crispy, buttery oatmeal cookies - the exact opposite of what I usually make. No raisins, no chocolate chips, no cinnamon - just plain old buttery oatmeal baked into a thin cookie that will snap when you bite into it. Mmmm. I'd had one in a bakery before, but never attempted them myself. In these situations, I generally turn to Cooks Illustrated - although their recipes are sometimes convoluted and complicated, the results are almost always worth the extra work! These cookies are easy peasy, though - no weird or extra steps in this one. And the result? AMAZING. Exactly what I was looking for. The cookies are so thin and buttery and delicate, and when you bite into them, they're perfectly crispy. If you've never tried cookies like this before, I highly recommend you bake up a batch immediately! I'd bet you already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen, too - you're probably less than an hour away from eating these cookies, if you start now. 

Extra Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from Cooks Illustrated: The New Best Recipe

makes 27 cookies

Ingredients:

• 14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown and granulated sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 
4. Once the butter and sugar is fluffy, add the egg and vanilla, beating until combined. 
5. With the mixer on slow, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined. 
6. Add the oats in 1/2 cup increments, stopping to scrape down the inside of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Mix on slow until just combined. 
7. Form the dough into 27 equal balls, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet, leaving lots of space between the cookies (they're going to spread - majorly). Use your fingers to smush down the dough balls so that you have flat discs - about 1/2" thick discs. 
8. Bake on the middle rack of the oven (I only bake one sheet of cookies at a time) for 14-16 minutes (mine were perfect at 14 minutes/30 seconds), until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheet. Usually I'm a proponent of eating cookies straight from the oven, but with these guys, wait until they're cooled so you get a crispy, crunchy, perfect cookie.