cannibal cookies

have you ever wondered what it would be like if you made a cookie with cookies in it? well, it's kind of like the show-within-a-show trick - but naturally, much better. these best-of-both-worlds concoctions don't always work out - instead of increasing your utility, the combo disappoints.

but these cookies definitely do not disappoint. they're certainly more like chocolate chip cookies than oreos, but they add a lovely bit of crunchiness to a traditional soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. the crunchiness isn't quite that of the sugar-butter crispiness of a chocolate chip cookies, nor is is soft like a chocolate chip; it's somewhere in between. and let me say that i think the baking temperature is actually significant in the case of these cookies. 325 is almost like baking your cookies sous-vide - they're just a bit crunchy at the edges, but totally soft and chewy everywhere else. these cookies are softer than other chocolate chip cookies i've made, and despite the inclusion of melted butter, these cookies didn't spread like crazy when baked immediately after making the dough. in fact, the cookies stay nice and pleasurably thick; i've never liked the thin, crispy genre of chocolate chip cookie.

the bottom line is that these are probably the easiest chocolate chip cookies to make. you can deviate from my typical recommendation to chill the dough before baking, and you don't have to wait for the butter to soften since you're just going to melt it, anyway.

chocolate chip oreo cookies

2c flour

1/2t baking soda

1/2t salt

3/4c butter, melted

1c brown sugar, packed

1/2c sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2c chocolate chips (1 standard pkg)

20 oreos, crushed

1. preheat the oven to 325F. line your cookie sheets with alumninum foil or parchment paper.

2. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt (or, skip this and when you add the dry ingredients, mix in the baking soda and salt, then the flour).

3. in a medium bowl, beat together the melted butter and both sugars (i do recommend using an electric mixer for these cookies). make sure the mixture isn't too hot and then beat in the egg and egg yolk, until completely blended (it'll become a little less glossy). mix in the dry ingredients until just blended.

4. with a spatula, mix in the chocolate chips, then the oreo bits (you can break the bits up directly into the batter so you don't have to pre-crush).

5. drop the dough onto the cookie sheets by tablespoonfuls; roll them in your hands a few times if you want them to be more uniform in size. these cookies work best when given space, so don't crowd them on your baking sheet; use the traditional 12 cookies per standard cookie sheet.

6. bake for 14-16 minutes, until edges are just golden and the tops of the cookies look dry (they really are done at this point - i made these twice, and they stayed softer and chewier when i just whisked 'em out at the 15 minute mark). cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a plate. store in an airtight container for a week or so.

[makes 40 cookies]