Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies With Ras el Hanout

Published June 28, 2022

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies With Ras el Hanout
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(934)
Comments
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Everyone loves a good oatmeal cookie — and this one will take you straight to Morocco. Ras el hanout is a common Moroccan spice blend and translates to “top of the shop” in Moroccan Arabic, which suggests that the spices selected were the finest available in the merchant's shop at the moment. The fragrant and warming spices of ras el hanout pair beautifully with the sweetness of the oatmeal cookie and the sharpness of the dark chocolate. Because of the spice mixture, these cookies won't appear to brown much, so be careful not to overbake. You can use your favorite store-bought ras el hanout for your cookies or make your own blend (see tip).

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Ingredients

Yield:about 2 dozen cookies 
  • packed cup/146 grams light brown sugar
  • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1large egg
  • 2teaspoons vanilla extract
  • cups/180 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1cup/120 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon ras el hanout (see Tip)
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1cup/190 grams semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

145 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 79 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Combine the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a large bowl, and use a handheld electric whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix all ingredients until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the oats, flour, ras el hanout, baking soda and salt; mix on a low speed until everything is just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate.

  4. Step 4

    Scoop the dough in single heaping tablespoonfuls and transfer them to the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each piece.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the center of each cookie is a bit soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.

Tip
  • If you’d like to make your own ras el hanout blend, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed (from about ½ teaspoon whole),ground caraway seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground fennel seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground cloves and ground black pepper. (Mixture makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
934 user ratings
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Comments

I add about a 1/2 tsp. of Garam Masala to my chocolate chip cookies. So, I can assure anyone wondering about adding Ras el Hanout to oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies--it's amazing. The key is to add enough that people notice the extra flavors but not enough that they can identify what has been added. I had one couple contact me because they'd been arguing if the added spice was cardamon or nutmeg. My reply: Yes. Be adventurous. People will enjoy these, as will you!

The vast majority of cookie doughs improve with refrigeration, but cookies will spread less and therefore be more chewy/soft with less potential for crisp edges, both because the butter will melt more slowly and because the flour will absorb water from the egg and butter. That effect is more pronounced for oatmeal cookies, in which the oats will really soak up that stray moisture. I always refrigerate oatmeal doughs because I prefer that tighter, taller texture, but not everyone does.

I left out the chocolate and added ½c each walnuts and dried fruit (I had cranberries, but dates, raisins, cherries or blueberries would work, too). Delicious!

I was not smart enough to ask my husband if he already made this spice blend (he had), and being in a rush just threw in a few of the components: turmeric, nutmeg, ginger, clove. Delicious! Next time I will try with the full deal.

Adding complex spice blends to baked goods is brilliant!!! I would like to try this - replace the chocolate chose with dried apricot.

using Matthew W's garam masala tip, 2 bowls, no electric mixer in Pyrex 2 cup measure, met stick og butter in microwave. wisk in 1/2c brown sugar (through sieve because always lumps), 1 tsp vanilla, put in freezer in small bowl, mix 1 c flour, 1.5 c oats, salt, baking soda, heaping teaspoon of garam masala put cooled down butter in big bowl, whisk in egg. mix in dry stuff from small bowl add 1/2 c chocolate chips, 1/2 c raisins 1 TB scoops on baking sheet, 15 min each in my oven.

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