BA's Best Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe for chewy oatmeal cookies results in an amped-up version of the childhood favorite, with pecans for nutty, crunchy interest and your choice of dried fruit to make them personal. (Raisin haters, this one’s for you. Raisin lovers, it’s for you too.)

But be warned: Don’t try to make these with quick-cooking oats. Quick oats are rolled thinner than old-fashioned oats (sometimes called rolled oats). The two absorb liquids at different rates; swap the quick-cooking version into this recipe, and you’ll end up with dry, cakey cookies instead of buttery ones. For extra nutty flavor, we toast the oats (and pecans) before stirring them into the cookie dough, resulting in the best oatmeal cookies of your life.

Of course, there are a few other contributing factors. We use a high proportion of brown sugar, plus a glug of maple syrup, to boost the cookies’ classic butterscotch notes. And, perhaps most important, we made them choose-you-own-mix-in-adventure cookies. We’re well aware that not everyone loves a raisin (just ask half our colleagues). So scour your cabinet for the dried fruit you like best and use it instead. Traditionalist? Oatmeal-raisin cookies it is. Cherry lover? Ginger fiend? Current connoisseur? Go your own way. (Looking for a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe? We’ve arranged that elsewhere.)

The dough should rest at least 1 hour after mixing (but before forming) so the dry ingredients have time to hydrate fully—you can also make the dough a day ahead, cover it well, and stick it in the fridge overnight. Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to portion the dough. For the chewiest oatmeal cookies, reduce the baking time by 2 minutes—if you prefer crisper ones, flatten the dough balls slightly before baking.