Chocolate Chip Cookies Version XS (Extreme Sugars) (from Demolition Desserts by Elizabeth Faulkner)

• 1 1/4 cups (4 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (about 8 1/2 ounces) firmly packed dark muscovado sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) Demerara sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped the size of chocolate chips, or bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)

In a food processor, pulse the oats for 15 to 20 seconds to refine the texture. Most the oats will look like coarse sawdust, but you should have some recognizable flakes when you are done.

In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) of the butter over medium heat and allow it to cook for about 3 minutes, or until it browns slightly. Add the oats and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until you can smell a toasty fragrance. Don’t overdo it. You want to take the pan off the heat as soon as you detect a hint of toast. Spoon the oats onto a baking sheet or a sheet of parchment paper, spread them out with a spoon, and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the remaining 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) butter and muscovado sugar until smooth but not overmixed. Add the Demerara sugar and vanilla and stir briefly, just to mix. Add the egg and stir just until combined.

Transfer the cooled oats to a medium bowl. Sift together the flour and baking soda onto the oats. Add the salt and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until combined. Add the chocolate and stir just until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (This allows the cookies to achieve the perfect size during baking since the butter is chilled. They won’t spread out too much this way).

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up 1-inch balls of dough with a spoon and set them two inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake the cookies, rotating the pans after 4 minutes for 7-9 minutes, or until they are puffed up but still soft, or until done to your liking (At 7 minutes the cookies are still rounded and so soft they are hard to lift with a spatula. At 9 minutes the cookies are still slightly rounded and are soft when cooled. At 10 minutes the cooled cookies are flatter but still chewy. At 12 minutes the cookies are flatter and crisp). Transfer to racks and let cool.

Yield: 4 dozen