On the Salty Side: Salted Oatmeal Cookies

Wed, November23rd of 2005

9:12 pm

For a few days every month, I become a salt slave. I hunger for salt, salt, and more salt. I eat green mangoes with bagoong (salted shrimp paste) and sprinkle them with rock salt. I hoard bags of sampaloc (tamarind), the saltier the better, sucking on them while I’m driving. And I prefer salty chocolates like Hershey’s Max5, a pretzel-chocolate-peanut butter-salt combination that rocks. Saline lunacy is what this all is, I tell you.

salt specks

So you can imagine my glee when I chanced upon one of my favorite food blogger’s Salty Oats, basically oatmeal cookies with salt sprinkled on them before baking. Doing this instead of mixing the salt into the cookie batter brings the salty flavor to the fore, instead of just complementing the cookie. This was also the first oatmeal cookie recipe that I had come across which called for part rice flour. Because rice flour has no gluten, it prevents the cookie from becoming cakey and/or tough. Actually, rice flour can be substituted for flour in any recipe by up to 25%.

It sounded all good, and I broke all records dashing to my kitchen to make these. In under 20 minutes, I had oatmeal cookies that were cobbled and moist, with a hit of cinnamon, and chewy because of the rice flour. I also added extra raisins to up the nutritional benefit.

You wouldn’t mind getting caught with your
hand in this cookie jar!

I used rock salt in these cookies, as I was worried that fine salt would dissolve into nothingness while baking, and it turned out well. Use a light hand to salt the cookies because too much salt is well, salty.

I love these cookies! This one’s a keeper.

Related “salty” post:
Royce’ chocolate-covered potato chips.

« Sweet on Salty: Royce’ Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips

For the cookie monster in you »

10 Comments »

Oh, I’m glad that you liked the cookies, Lori! Next time, I’m going with a coarser salt when I make them, too.

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Comment by Nic — November 23, 2005 @ 9:38 pm

When I read the words bagoong, tamarind, and saline luncacy, I was hooked. Your enthusiasm for these cookies has rubbed off and I’ll have to try these for myself. Plus I’ve been looking for a way to use the bag of rice flour that I just picked up.

BTW, the images are to die for! Geez, it isn’t even my time of the month and I’m already in crave mode!

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Comment by rowena — November 23, 2005 @ 11:06 pm

Hey! I bought rice flour yesterday, too! Interestingly enough, I’m quite sure that the location/concentration of the salt means that while you “taste” more salt, you actually “consume” less. I wonder what a sweet-ish fleur de sel would do … would be fun to experiment and compare!

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Comment by Alanna — November 23, 2005 @ 11:39 pm

Where do you get those? The Royce’s chocolate covered potato chips, anyway? I usually have peanut M&Ms with Ridges to get that effect.

~Mahar

P.S. Are your salt cravings a symptom of you turning into that “new breed” you referred to, the home baker who doesn’t have that sweet a tooth?

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Comment by Anonymous — November 24, 2005 @ 7:54 am

How interesting! I have never had cookies with salt sprinkled on them…sounds good! I missed this at Nic’s, thanks for passing on the link and sharing your thoughts on the cookies

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Comment by joey — November 24, 2005 @ 7:58 am

Lori, in my case, im having cravings for oatmeal cookies but the “sugar” ingredient always make me back off since I can literally hear calories count in my head! Hehehe…I think Ill be up and running now with the “salted” oatmeal cookies

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Comment by cathy b — November 24, 2005 @ 8:42 am

Mahar-
I was trying to be discreet about it, but no, my salt cravings are a symptom of something else that comes by monthly. And if you don’t get that huge hint, ask your girlfriend, sister, or some other close female associate. Hehehehehe. And no, I will NEVER become one of those bakers who don’t possess a sweet tooth. The day I turn into that is the day this blog will die.

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Comment by Lori — November 24, 2005 @ 9:16 am

may you can use the coarse salt they sprinkle on pretzels. or maybe you can mix salty pretzel chunks and chocolate chips in the oatmeal/cookie batter. i’m obviously not a baker. but i wonder how that would taste like. there’s something about this sweet/salty topic that gets the mind going.

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Comment by anonymous paul — November 24, 2005 @ 11:43 am

Hmmm, this made me think, my dietitian said to prepare for those monthly cravings, but not salt for me, I think it’s rice. And chocolate.
Favor again? Where do you get rice flour in Manila? First time I’ve heard of that. Maybe it should be promoted as a good Philippine product, since it does wonders to baked goodies.

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Comment by Kai — November 24, 2005 @ 1:40 pm

Oh, so this salt+sweet monthly craving is a COMMON thing! When I told my (female) cousin about chocolate covered potato chips, she immediately said, “Perfect for PMS!” I thought she was unique. Guess *I’m* the one who’s different. Oh, well. I’m used to that.