I have found the perfect cookie. My only criteria was that it would retain its softness after it had fully cooled from the oven. So I guess I like cookies with a cake-like consistency. I have an 8 1/2 x 11″ page recipe in my folder with the words “best cookie recipe ever” scrawled across it in a sharpie.

I grew up in a house without butter, and as a child, all the cookies I made (I say “I” because my mom is a fantastic cook, not a baker) inevitably melted themselves flat in the oven and hardened to a crisp after 10 minutes. All we ever had in the house was margarine and I figured that was the culprit. (A side note about margarine – in Canada we have this margarine called Becel. When I moved to the US, I was excited to see a product called Promise with the very same logo, but it tastes nothing like Becel).

A very wonderful roommate introduced me to the wonder of butter on bread and I soon realized its necessity in baking. In an attempt to achieve something like the divine consistency of a UBC Blue Chip Cookie, figuring that it could only be attributed to the fattiest substance known to man, I learned that shortening makes things crisp, not soft and chewy (duh, it’s what creates flaky pie crusts). I pored through Martha Stewart’s recipes, looking for keywords like “soft” or “super-soft.” One cookie that boasted such promises called for bananas and came out of the oven very much like a muffin top.

This recipe I came across randomly, and I can no longer find the original source. Not only does it call for good old fashioned margarine that I always have on hand, but the cookies stay soft! I had a huge Costco sized box of instant Quaker oat packages that I quickly grew tired of, and two packets (whether they were apple cinnamon, or maple and brown sugar) worked perfectly for the quick-cooking oat component. I’ve tried using healthier flours, fancy sugars, old fashioned oats, butter and coconut oil, but every time I’ve made a substitution, it just isn’t the same. So I’ll just have to enjoy it the way it is. This makes about a dozen, and you can double it for two dozen.

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

  • 1/2 cup margarine
  • 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup instant oatmeal or 2 packages instant oatmeal
  • a couple handfuls of chocolate chips (or better yet, really good quality baker’s chocolate, chopped)
  • a couple handfuls of chopped nuts (macadamia nuts and hazelnuts work well)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat margarine and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy and well blended. Beat in egg and the vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and salt over margarine mixture and stir to blend. Mix in oats, the chocolate chips and nuts.

Working in batches, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake cookies until golden brown, about 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store cookies airtight at room temperature.)

Below I used macadamia nuts and chopped up a white chocolate Lindt ball. Yum.