Chocolate-drizzled oatmeal shortbread
As for putting these in the freezer, a batch hasn’t gone uneaten long enough to try.
- 1½ cups old-  fashioned rolled oats, plus more for garnish (optional)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup turbinado sugar, plus more for garnish (optional)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose or rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2½ ounces dark chocolate (60% to 72% cacao), chopped
- Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Now that I prefer the taste of homemade cookies to packaged ones, I like to make this variation on traditional shortbread, with oats that give it a coarser texture and a good snap. I make a coarse oat flour by grinding old-fashioned oats in a food processor. Otherwise, you can purchase oat flour and stir in some whole oats for texture.
- In a food processor, pulse the oats to create a coarse flour. You want a bit of texture to remain, not pureed until it is completely smooth. Set aside.
- In the food processor or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and egg and mix again. Add the oat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and nutmeg and pulse a few times to combine, scraping down the sides of the food processor or your bowl as necessary.
- The dough will be fairly tacky.
- Using your hands, roll the dough into a uniform log about 3 inches in diameter. If you like, sprinkle a handful of rolled oats and a few tablespoons of turbinado sugar on your work surface and roll the log in the mixture to create a crust. Roll the log up in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and preferably 2.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Working quickly, slice the log into ½-inch coins and spread them on the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges just begin to brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Arrange the piece of parchment you used for cooking the cookies under the wire rack for easy cleanup. Drizzle the melted chocolate on the tops of the cookies in a zig-zag motion.
- I find this easiest to do by putting the slightly cooled chocolate in a resealable plastic bag, snipping off a tiny nip at the corner to create a makeshift pastry bag, and drizzling it from there. You can use a small spoon as well, with a bit more of a rustic result. Sprinkle a bit of flaked salt on the top of each cookie. The chocolate will firm up in about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.