I asked Sean what baked goods he wanted me to make for Christmas and he replied, “oatmeal cookies!” I was slightly surprised because I half expected sugar cookies or something elaborate like cinnamon rolls. I hadn’t made oatmeal cookies for a while so I jumped at the opportunity to make delightful beer-laden treats for the holiday. We went to the local store to buy more eggs and butter and also picked-up a Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome to bake the cookies with since it seemed fitting and I don’t believe I have used that beer before. It was a wonderful beer to cook with because of its strong malt flavor and slightly sweet hints of caramel and raisins which lend well to this hearty cookie.

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I made a beer syrup by adding 1 cup of beer with 1/3 cup of white sugar and cooked it down in a skillet until reduced by half and thickened. I cooled down the beer syrup before using it.

Ingredients:

2 cups AP Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup cocoa nibs

2 sticks of unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup beer syrup

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Make your beer syrup and set aside. See instructions above. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Using room temp butter (or microwave the butter for 15-20 sec.) beat the butter and brown sugar and white sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until combined and color is starting to lighten and butter is getting fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and oats) together in a mixing bowl with a whisk until combined.

2. Add eggs one at a time into the butter until combined. Add the vanilla and the beer syrup to the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the flour mixture with the speed on low in batches until just combined. Fold in the cocoa nibs and chocolate chips until evenly dispersed.

3. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto a cookie sheet that has parchment paper or a silpat to prevent sticking. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges. Be careful not to over cook, they will become hard once cool. Rotating once during baking is optional. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 40-50 cookies

Lasts: 1 week

Season: Holiday/Winter

Level: Beginner

These cookies are delicious! They certainly are hearty cookies, and some of them I cooked a little too long and became really hard but still tasty. I leaned from my error and cooked the rest of the cookies a little less and even though they might seem like they are under cooked in the middle when you take them out, trust that they will set-up once cooled and will have delightfully crunchy edges and a chewy soft center just like I had envisioned for this cookie. I also used dark 72% chocolate for the chips which I just chopped off a larger bar of chocolate because I like rustic large chunks of chocolate but chips are fully acceptable for this recipe. Enjoy!