Almost Everything Cookies

DessertsVegetarianEntertainingGluten Free

Jan 10

A white plate stacked with Almost Everything Cookies. — Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these Almost Everything Cookies have just about everything but the kitchen sink in them! A deliciously spiced oatmeal cookie batter is packed with three types of chocolate, toffee bits, tart cherries, and pecans. Can also be made gluten-free!

To give them the perfect balance of salty sweetness, they are topped with sea salt flakes hot from the oven. This cookie might please just about everyone! To learn how to make this delectable cookie recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations including gluten-free, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.

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RECIPE

(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)

Step by Step Instructions

PREPARATION

Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
***Note:*** *The following optional ingredients are not shown in photo:*
*Dark chocolate 72% cacao*
*Maldon sea salt flakes*

STEP 1

In a medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup aerated all purpose flour (see Note below), ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine salt, and ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

Note: To aerate flour, simply stir the flour, spoon it into your dry measuring cup, and level. Check out our quick video for Tip #1 on my Tips and Tricks page for details on how to aerate flour.

Flour mixture ingredients.

Whisk to combine.

STEP 2

Roughly chop ⅓ cup dark chocolate 72% cacao (optional - see Note below), and roughly chop ¾ cup pecans, and set aside.

Note: Roughly chopped chocolate is optional, and can be used to mix into the batter for an extra chocolatey cookie. If you want to top each cookie with one chunk of chocolate, reserve 20 chunks (1 chunk per cookie). I prefer using a small 1.65 ounce bar of Trader Joe’s 72% Belgian dark chocolate, or half of a 3.5 ounce bar of Valrhona Dark Noir Amer 71% cacao.

72% cacao bar.

Roughly chopped.

Set chocolate aside.

Chopped pecans.

STEP 3a

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar. Beat ingredients, gradually increasing speed to medium-high speed, until pale and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes), stopping to scrape bowl halfway through. Add 1 room temperature large egg, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high for about 1 ½ minutes. Stop and scrape bowl again. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture (⅓ cup at a time), until just incorporated.

Butter & sugars.

Scrape bowl.

Pale & fluffy.

Egg & vanilla.

Beat on medium-high.

After 1 ½ minutes.

Flour ⅓ cup at a time.

Just incorporated.

STEP 3b

Stop mixer, scrape bowl, then add 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup dried tart cherries (if large, halve or quarter), ⅓ cup dark chocolate 72% cacao, roughly chopped (optional - see Note #2), ½ cup extra dark chocolate chips (63% cacao), ¼ cup white chocolate chips, ½ cup English toffee bits, and ¾ cup roughly chopped pecans. Mix on lowest speed (“Stir” on KitchenAid mixer), for about 10-15 seconds until just combined. Scrape bowl, and remove bowl from mixer. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add oats.

Oats & tart cherries.

Chocolate, toffee & nuts.

Mix on low.

Scrape bowl.

Ready to refrigerate.

STEP 4

While the dough is chilling, line 2 *baking sheet pans* with parchment paper, and set aside. Place one oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F.

STEP 5a

Once dough is chilled, scoop batter using an ice cream/cookie scoop (2 inch scoop - approx. 3 Tbs.), scoop batter, form into a ball with your hands, and place each ball evenly spaced onto prepared baking sheet pan (8 balls per pan - see Note A below). Flatten each cookie slightly with moistened fingers (see Note B below), and round edges. Top each one with a chunk of dark chocolate (optional).

Note A: To get evenly baked cookies, bake only one cookie sheet per oven. It’s best to do this in two or three batches. For more baking tips, visit my Blog Comments & Tips for this website recipe.

Note B: Flattening the cookies slightly will create a thinner and crisper exterior and chewy interior. If you prefer a softer cookie, don’t flatten as much (see STEP 5b for photo examples).

Scoop batter.

Form into ball.

Ball of cookie dough.

Moisten fingers.

Flatten with hand.

Round edges.

8 per baking sheet.

Top w/ chocolate chunk.

STEP 5b

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 12-13 minutes, do NOT over bake (mine baked perfectly in 13 minutes). Remove from oven, and as an optional garnish sprinkle a few flakes of Maldon sea salt flakes on each cookie right out of the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack, then cool completely.

Note: Slightly flattened cookie is shown below in “Cool for 10 minutes” photo (thinner, crisper outside and chewy inside). Barely flattened cookie is shown below in “Transfer to wire rack” photo (thicker & softer cookie).

Bake 1 sheet at a time.

Sprinkle w/ salt flakes.

Cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer to wire rack.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

For crispy texture (see Note below) serve completely cool, or warm and gooey!
***Note:*** If served after cooled completely, these cookies will have a crispy outside and chewy inside. For a softer, more gooey texture, enjoy while warm (after the cookies have rested on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes).

Notes:

Can be stored completely cooled in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Makes 20 cookies (each cookie about 2 ½ - 3 inches in diameter), one cookie per serving.

BACK TO RECIPE

VIDEO

How to Make these Almost Everything Cookies!

Blog Comments & Tips

An all-in-one cookie to please everyone!

Deliciously crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these Almost Everything Cookies are likely to please just about everyone! My version of everything cookies have a spiced oatmeal cookie base, three types of chocolate, toffee bits, tart cherries, and pecans. For that salty sweet finish, I topped them with Maldon sea salt flakes hot from the oven.

You can make two kinds of cookies using the same recipe. It’s all in the flattening process. Slightly flattened cookies (about ½ inch thickness) will yield a crispy exterior and chewy interior. Barely flattened cookies (about ¾ to 1 inch thickness) will result in a softer dome-shaped cookie.

Let’s face it - with three types of chocolate and all the other ingredients, this is a rich cookie! That said, it’s up to you whether you want to add the third chocolate to this recipe. Take a look at the Pimp My Recipe section below for details.

How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?

Our 5 tips to making the perfect Almost Everything Cookies:

It’s important to use good quality chocolate, butter, and fresh pecans.
Chill the cookie dough for a full 30 minutes before scooping onto prepared baking sheets. The chilling process solidifies the fat in the cookies, helping the cookies to retain their shape and thickness as they cook. It also creates a chewier cookie.
For even baking, use only one cookie sheet per oven. If you only have one cookie sheet, place the batter back in the fridge until just before you are ready to scoop the dough onto one cookie sheet, and bake the next batch.
Flatten the cookie balls based on the type of cookie you prefer (i.e., either a thinner crispy outside and chewy inside, or a thicker and softer dome-shaped cookie). See the Pimp My Recipe section below for details.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a full 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. They will be too soft and tear apart if you try to transfer them earlier.

Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.

Pimp Our Recipe:

Don’t Like Tart Cherries? The dried tart cherries in this recipe provide the perfect balance to the sweetness from all the chocolate. If you don’t like tart cherries, replace them with the same amount of dried cranberries.
Make it Softer: Barely flattened cookies (about ¾ to 1 inch thickness) will result in a softer dome-shaped cookie.
Make it Crispier: Slightly flattened cookies (about ½ inch thickness) will yield a crispy exterior and chewy interior. When you remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make it Gluten Free: Replace the aerated all purpose flour with 1 cup aerated Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour.
Make it Less Chocolatey: Omit ⅓ cup of roughly chopped dark chocolate 72% cacao from the batter. You will still have a chocolatey cookie, but it won’t be as rich.
Make it More Chocolatey: Adding ⅓ cup of roughly chopped dark chocolate 72% cacao to the batter will certainly make it more chocolatey. I like to reserve 20 chunks from ⅓ cup, and top each cookie with one chunk of chocolate. If you don’t want to hassle with reserving the chocolate and topping each cookie, just toss in the entire ⅓ cup of chopped chocolate directly into the batter in STEP 3b.

Enjoy and let us know what you think by commenting below, rating our recipes, subscribing, following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.

Happy Cooking!

Mich

Footnote: Remember to chill your dough a full 30 minutes before scooping it onto the preferred baking sheet.

Adapted from the Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on foodnetwork.com. A few of the ingredient quantities were changes, along with the addition of 6 new ingredients.

Every editorial product is independently selected. I may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you purchase products via these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Prep My Recipe

Prep My Recipe is a food blog featuring California-style recipes in a variety of categories and dietary preferences, along with step-by-step instructions, printable recipe cards, helpful how to videos, and recommended products. This website also spotlights “Pimp My Recipe” ideas for a unique twist on how to customize each recipe.

https://PrepMyRecipe.com

Almost Everything Cookies

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these Almost Everything Cookies have just about everything but the kitchen sink in them! A deliciously spiced oatmeal cookie batter is packed with three types of chocolate, toffee bits, tart cherries, and pecans. Can also be made gluten-free!

RECIPE