THE Cookie

A labor of love - Active Time: 1 Hour, Chilling Time: 8 + Hours - Makes 16-18

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No, you are not mistaken, I have chosen to title this recipe "THE Cookie."

I believe you will find no other acceptable description for this mouthful of textured goodness, one that captures crunchiness, chewiness and stickiness in unification,

but I remain open to suggestion...

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DOUGH

1 Cup 2 Sticks Butter*

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Almond Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (Divided)

3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Room Temperature Eggs

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Nuts of Choice (I like walnut or pecan)

*I use salted butter in these cookies, if you prefer to use unsalted,

add 1/2 tsp salt to the dough*

BRITTLE

3 Cup Rice Cereal

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1. Remove eggs from fridge. Place one stick of butter in a large mixing bowl (it can be cold or room temperature), simmer the other 1/2 C of butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, letting it brown generously. We are not afraid of burnt butter around here! Swirl the butter as it browns, cooking for 5-8 minutes until a deep amber color is reached, and foaminess has largely subsided.

2. Pour the browned butter on top of the remaining butter, DO NOT MIX, scrape extra brown bits from the pan with a spatula. Let the butter mixture re-solidify for 30 minutes while making the brittle.

3. Wipe the buttery sauce pan clean, then melt the remaining 4T butter on low heat to begin brittle. Add 3/4 C sugar to melted butter, and stir gently with a rubber spatula. Maintain a low heat, and add 2-3 Tbsp water, stirring slowly until all the sugar dissolves, be patient, this can take up to 10 minutes.

4. While you wait for the sugar to dissolve, place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and measure 3 C rice cereal.

5. Once sugar grains are no longer visible, adjust heat to medium and put your spatula out of sight - no more stirring allowed! Let the mixture bubble for 6-8 minutes more, swirling gently and often, until a deep amber color is reached. Quickly add rice cereal and baking soda, mix rapidly, and pour onto parchment. Work very quickly to flatten the brittle into a thin layer. If time gets the better of you and the brittle becomes hard, place another piece of parchment on top and press with a rolling pin. Let the brittle cool for 5-10 minutes.

6. Combine almond and all purpose flours, salt (if using unsalted butter), and baking soda in a medium bowl. Grind 1 C of oats in a blender with half of the total brittle, seems weird, I know, but do not skip this step!! The ground oats and brittle can be added to the rest of the dry ingredients.

7. Break up the remaining brittle into small pieces the size of a penny or smaller, leave aside with remaining 1 C oats, 1/2 C nuts and 1 C white chocolate chips.

8. Add both sugars to the re-solidified butter and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla, scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. When the wet mix is starting to look fluffy, slowly begin adding the dry flour mix until completely combined (I continue using a hand mixer for this step). Then add the chunks of brittle, oats, nuts and white chocolate, folding with a spatula to evenly distribute.

9. Prepare 1 baking sheet with parchment and scoop 1/4 C size balls of dough, arrange them close together, they need to chill overnight and we don't need to play tetris with the fridge! Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, and up to 2 days. THE Cookie freezes like magic as well, just wrap and tightly and place in a freezer bag.

TO BAKE Preheat oven to 350, place only 6 cookie balls on each parchment lined cookie sheet. This recipe makes 16-18 large cookies, they bake just as well in smaller sizes if you prefer.

Bake for 12-16 minutes, transferring sheets from top to bottom, and rotating back to front, halfway through.