Ingredients
1 c. (115 g.) pecans
2 c. (180 g.) old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 (150 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 c. (215 g.) plus 3 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. (170 g.) bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. coarsely chopped candied ginger
1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
Preparation
Step 1Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Let cool, then coarsely chop.Step 2In a medium bowl, whisk oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until blended. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed to combine. Fold in chips, ginger, coconut, and pecans. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. (Chilling deepens the flavor and keeps cookies from spreading too much when baked.) If you chilled the dough overnight, let it sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop, about 45 minutes.Step 3Arrange racks in lower third and center of oven; preheat to 350º. Drop dough by 1 heaping tablespoon onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2" apart.Step 4Bake cookies, rotating sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until edges are golden, about 16 minutes.Step 5Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and let cool completely. Reuse parchment for remaining dough.
My aunt Leslie taught me to under-bake cookies like this a little bit, because they tend to get crispy after a couple of days. Another one of her pro tips: Storing them in a plastic container with a slice of white bread does wonders, keeping them nice and moist. Some of these old wives’ tales kind of disappear over time, but the traditions live on when we make meals at home for our families. My new show Easy-Bake Battle drums up the same nostalgia. I remember watching these commercials on Saturday mornings for this cute little oven, and I thought it was so cool. On the show, you’ll see that many of the contestants are moms using the Easy-Bake Oven with old-school hacks to get a meal on the table. And I was just shocked and amazed by the diversity of ideas that all these home cooks came up with. It’s such a wonderful act of love, just like baking a batch of these cookies.
