Oatmeal cookies with pistachios and white chocolate

These are extra-special cookies. Not because they are overwhelmingly delicious (which they are), and packed full of pistachios and gooey pockets of white chocolate… but for another, less indulgent but even sweeter reason. This recipe is dear to me because it is the first one that my little girl helped, REALLY helped, me make, from measuring the flour to shaping the dough. She was riveted, eyes glued to the oven door as the sticky balls of dough transformed into golden, fragrant cookies. For her, it was pure magic to bite into the first warm cookie that she made, and to proudly present her father with one that evening, declaring “Look Daddy! I make a cooking!”

I shared the magic of the first cookie with Juanita, but when she asked for another and I pretended to be a responsible adult and explained that no, she would have to wait until tomorrow. When she went to bed I immediately ate two more, because that, on the other hand, is the magic of being an adult.

Oatmeal cookies with pistachios and white chocolate

• 1 cup (225 g) of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) of sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 g) molasses
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (250 g) of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) of rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) of coarsely chopped pistachios, raw and unsalted
• 1 1/2 cups (200 g) of white chocolate chips (you may also cut a bar of white chocolate into small chunks)

For 18-20 cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cream the butter and sugars together on high speed for three minutes. Add the eggs and continue beating for 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Stir in rolled oats. Gently fold in the pistachios and white chocolate chips.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets, add an extra pistachio or two on top of each bit of dough for decoration if desired. 5 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow to set up on the cookie sheets before moving to a baking rack to cool completely.