The Softest Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup dried currants, raisins, nuts, coconut flakes or chocolate chips
• 1 TBSP white sugar, for flattening cookies

Instructions

1. 1

   Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon into a bowl. Set aside.

2. 2

   Beat the butter, salt, sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed for about a minute until mostly combined. Add the oats and currants and finish mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Using a small ice cream scoop (about 1 tbsp/15ml), scoop out 1-inch (2.5cm) balls of cookie dough. Place them into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

3. 3

   When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the cookies out of the fridge 10 minutes before baking.

4. 4

   Place the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets 1.5 inches (4cm) apart. Dip a wet fork into 1 tbsp (15ml) white sugar and very lightly press down each cookie. The emphasis is on very lightly—I don't flatten mine all the way.

5. 5

   Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until very lightly golden around the edges and the centres are mostly set. The baking time should be around 8–10 minutes. I find that just under 9 minutes works best—the cookies look a bit raw at that point, but they will harden as they cool. I really don't recommend going much past 9 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool them directly on the baking sheets for 5 minutes; then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.