Chocolate chip cookies are great, no doubt. But sometimes they really do need to be revamped. Hearing that sweet tooth calling again late last night, I turned to the old classic. I only had a half bag of chips but I had a good deal of other mix-ins (such as half a Ghirardelli chocolate bar, some nuts for my salads and almond butter), so I went to work. The final result was a perfectly satisfying cookie; crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a hint of nuttiness from oats and almonds. Like my husband said, "they're better than chocolate chip cookies, but you're not quite sure why". I agree!

Late Night Cookie Ingredients (makes 35 cookies):

1 cup plus 2 T all purpose flour
1/3 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ounces chocolate bar of your liking (such as Ghirardelli), coarsely chopped
2 T almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pulse the oats and almond together in a blender or food processor for about 5 seconds. You don't want a fine powder, but this isn't a chunky oatmeal cookie, either. Mix this in a bowl together with the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl if needed. Add the egg and incorporate on medium high for another minute. Reduce speed to low add the vanilla and almond butter. Then add the flour mixture until it JUST mixed, quickly add the chips and chopped chocolate and mix for another 5-10 seconds. Using a small (about 1 1/2 teaspoon sized) ice cream scoop, divide the dough on ungreased cookie sheets. Give enough room for them to spread, about 2" between mounds. Refrigerate the cookie sheets for about 5-10 minutes, then bake approximately 19 minutes. Let them sit for about 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire cooling rack. They are amazing when warm!

My favorite cookie is from Giada DeLaurentiis. She uses hazelnuts and toffee bits in hers, which I don't often have on hand, but ever since trying that cookie I regularly add oats to my cookies for a little more substance and flavor.

each cookie contains approximately: 100 calories, 10.5g fat, 26.5mg cholesterol, 12mg sodium, 26 carbs, 17g sugars, 2.5g protein.