Everything's in the cookie...

...Literally everything. I had a craving this past weekend for something sweet (but still semi-wholesome) and chock full of "stuff". Taking some inspiration from Momofuku Milk Bar, one of my favorite dessert spots in NYC's East Village, I decided to experiment with my version of their "Compost cookie" -- basically, throw in a whole lot stuff and hope for the best. The end result, was a cookie bursting with deliciousness, texture, the perfect amount of sweetness and even some healthfulness. This "trash can cookie" is chock full of heart-healthy oats, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and raisins, healthy fats from walnuts and peanut butter and the random addition of pretzels for that sweet-salty crunch. I've aptly named this cookie for my new book due out next April, The Cheater's Diet. The "Cheater's cookie" crams in a whole lot of health, flavor and indulgence into one tiny cookie (hopefully that tells you something about the rest of the book!). *Fair warning, the batter makes a mountain of cookies, so these are great for gifts, to bring into the office or even store in the freezer for when you’re dying for something sweet.

The Cheater's Cookie

Makes 48 cookies

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup natural peanut butter, chunky or cremay

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla *I like a lot of vanilla, so I usually put in 1 full Tbsp

1 ½ cups or 12 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate chips.

½ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup raisins

½ cup pretzels, broken into small 1-2” pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. In a stand mixer, like a KitchenAid, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until well-blended. *If you don’t have a have stand mixer, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer.

4. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until completely blended. Turn the mixer speed to medium-low and slowly add dry ingredients. Beat until blended and add in chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins and pretzels. If you have time, chill the dough for 2 hours or overnight.

5. With a spoon, drop rounded tablespoons of dough a few inches apart on a greased baking sheet – 12 to 14 cookies should fit on each baking sheet. Bake cookies for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove cookies and cool.

Eat up people and let me know what you think!