Triple Chip Cookies

Sometimes, the best recipes develop purely by chance. Such is the case with these cookies, which were born out of guilt and remorse and a spontaneous attempt to redeem myself. Nice motivation, huh?

It started with an overzealous offer to bring goodies for my department’s weekly Treat Time last Friday. It was my new hire’s first week on the job, and I wanted to celebrate her promotion by personally providing treats to officially welcome her. Well, it was a nice idea. Then life happened…you know how it goes. Eli and I arrived home from a weeklong trip to Virginia on Monday night. I spent Tuesday unpacking, getting organized, and doing laundry. Wednesday it snowed for the first time, and the roads were treacherous, so it took me over an hour to get home, where I promptly proceeded to collapse on the couch. Thursday evening we had a somewhat impromptu birthday celebration to attend. And so…the resident foodie didn’t complete her baking homework. I know, I know.  Excuses don’t cut it when it comes to the expectation that something will be homemade.

Friday morning found me at Meijer at 6:45 a.m. buying cookies. Now, before you start thinking too badly of me, you must understand: I didn’t buy crappy cookies. They were not Chips Ahoy or Fudge Stripes or anything else that has plastic packaging and a ridiculously long shelf life. In the bakery section of the store, I picked up two boxes of what I call “the puffy cookies.” You know – the round white sugar cookies that are about a half inch thick with a equally thick layer of frosting slathered on top. And sprinkles – always lots of sprinkles. I love those cookies, and so did my team. But I still got flack for not bringing homebaked goodies.

I felt bad about it all weekend, so on Sunday afternoon I got out the mixer and rummaged through my recipe box. I ended up taking a random recipe for a version of monster cookies and modifying it with what I had on hand, which happened to be three partially full bags of chips: butterscotch, cinnamon, and dark chocolate. As I tossed them into the batter, I braced myself internally, not knowing what the result would be. Yummy, or disgusting? As they came out of the oven, hot and inviting, I sprinkled a few red, white, and green nonpareils on top (all it takes to make a Christmas cookie is red and green sprinkles, right?).

They were surprisingly fabulous. Somehow, the butterscotch, cinnamon, and dark chocolate melded together to create a flavor that is rich and candy-like, almost caramelly. The cookie base is crispy and oatmealy, perfect for dunking into a glass of milk. Suffice it to say that I’ve ended up with a cookie recipe I’ll make again.

I brought them to work the next day in a Christmas-y tin proclaiming “Joy” on the side, and sent an email begging forgiveness for foisting store-bought cookies on my unsuspecting team the previous Friday. I set the tin in my office with a sign proclaiming “Cookies” and an arrow pointing to the tin, and the pilgrimage to Cookieland began.

By the end of the day, they had been gobbled up, and several people have asked for the recipe. I’ve been hounded all week to get it posted on here.

Triple Chip Cookies


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted sweet cream butter
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or white sugar
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup Nestle butterscotch chips
1/2 cup Hershey’s cinnamon chips
1/2 cup Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a cupful or so at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add the oats and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Stir in the three kinds of chips.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or a regular teaspoon, scoop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, allowing plenty of room for the cookies to spread out.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

If you want to add sprinkles, use your fingers to scatter them onto the cookies as soon as you remove them from the oven. The heat of the cookies will cause the sprinkles to adhere to their surfaces. Allow a few seconds for the sprinkles to set, then use a spatula to remove the cookies to a rack.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!