Oatmeal Apple Cookies

Though I will eat any cookie handed to me, I am very particular about cookies I crave. I like a cookie with some body and oomph to it: thick, chewy and chunky. I made oatmeal raisin cookies the night before and though they tasted fine, it didn't quite have the texture I was craving. For one thing, the ratio of flour to oatmeal was way too high.

Not to toot my own horn, but I once made an apple pie that was described by some (my ever loving roommate) as a religious experience. It was that damn good. I love baking with apples because baked spiced apples will make anything taste good; and when you add cognac to the mix, it only gets better. Though I do most of my cooking through improvisation, I tend to bake according to recipes. But with the apples all diced up and swimming in cognac and spices (I was planning an apple crisp of sorts) and the memory of the success of the aforementioned apple pie bloating my baker ego, I let my craving for thick, chewy and chunky cookies take charge and ventured forth uncharted territory, namely baking without a recipe

What resulted were very good cookies (in my apple and nut loving opinion) and you can definitely taste the cognac in the apples, though William refused to taste a whole cookie (he has a thing against apples). I will admit that these cookies do not have mass appeal as there is an obvious lack of chocolate and only the bare amount of butter. But you know, chocolate chip cookies never did it for me.


OATMEAL APPLE COOKIES

• 2 cups apple, washed, peeled, cored and diced as finely as you have the patience for
• 3 tablespoons cognac (brandy will also work)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 tablespoon brown sugar (or more if you want sweeter cookies)
  
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used macadamia, which added a rich, butter taste but walnuts or pecans will also be tasty)

Wash, peel, and core apples into pea size chunks. Save all apple peels and core and place in a small sauce pot, add brown sugar and just enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer over medium low heat until sugar is completely dissolved and liquid reduced down to 1/2 cup. Strain and chill.

While sugar mixture is simmering, dice apples into pea size chunks and toss with cognac, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice. (To keep chopped apple chunks from browning, first put the cognac in the bowl, add the apple chunks as you chop them and add the spices last. The alcohol keeps the apple chunks from browning)

Put apple mixture back in the fridge to keep chill.

Cut butter up into small chunks and mix with flour, salt and baking soda by hand. The butter and flour mixture will not be blend smoothly but it is okay, as long as butter chunks aren't larger than pea size. Mix in egg evenly and add chopped nuts and oats.

Add spiced apple chunks to the flour mixture and mix evenly. Pour in chilled sugar/apple peel syrup (doesn't have to be cold but it should at least be room temperature) and mix evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While oven is heating up, put the dough in the fridge or freezer to chill (this will render it chewy).

Spoon onto baking sheet with two inches between cookies and bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, depending on how the coldness of the dough and the size of each spoonful. The batch I made took 12 minutes but I like my cookies small so that I can eat it in one or two bites.