Some inventions happen just because we’re having fun. When Sebastien discovered that my partner, Laura Cunningham, liked oatmeal cookies but had been picking out the raisins (she doesn’t like dried fruit), he decided to make a cookie in her honor, replacing the fruit with nuts. Thus The Laura Cunningham, aka TLC, was born.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup + 1½ tablespoons (153 grams) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (2.3 grams) Baking soda
- 0.37 teaspoon (1 gram) Ground cinnamon
- ½ cup + 3½ tablespoons (138 grams) Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup +1½ tablespoons (lightly packed) (75 grams) Dark brown sugar
- 7.5 ounces (212 grams) Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (52 grams) Eggs
- 1¾ cups (134 grams) Old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (134 grams) Coarsely chopped pecans
How to Make It
- Place the flour in a medium bowl, sift in the baking soda and cinnamon, and whisk together. Whisk together the sugars in a small bowl, breaking up any lumps.
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn to medium-low speed and cream the butter, warming the bowl if needed (see Pommade, page 190), until it has the consistency of mayonnaise and holds a peak when the paddle is lifted. Add the sugars and mix for 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, add them to the butter mixture, and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to distribute the seeds evenly, stopping to break up any larger pieces.
- Add the eggs and mix on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just combined. Scrape down the bowl again. The mixture may look broken, but that is fine (over whipping the eggs could cause the cookies to expand too much during baking and then deflate).
- Add the combined dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, or until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any diy ingredients that have settled there. Add the oats and pulse on low about 10 times to combine. Pulse in the pecans. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (convection or standard). Line two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.
- Using the ice cream scoop, divide the dough into 6 equal portions, 145 grams each. Roll each one into a ball between the palms of your hands.
- The cookies are veiy large; bake only 3 on each pan. With a short end of the pan toward you, place one cookie in the upper left corner, one in the lower left corner, and the third one in the center toward the right side of the pan. firing the dough to room temperature before baking.
- Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes in a convection oven, 18 to 20 minutes in a standard oven, reversing the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
- The cookies are best the day they are baked, but they can be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.