Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cook

This recipe made national headlines during the 1992 presidential campaign cookie bake-off, and it holds up. The shortening (instead of butter) is the key move here: it keeps the cookies chewy and soft in the center while the edges go golden and crisp. Two full cups of rolled oats add a hearty, nutty texture that sets these apart from a standard chocolate chip cookie.

Beating the shortening with both brown and white sugar until truly creamy before adding the eggs makes a big difference. You want the mixture light and fluffy, not just combined. That extra air creates a tender crumb.

Drop these by well-rounded teaspoonfuls and don’t flatten them. They spread as they bake, and starting with a tall mound gives you that thick, bakery-style center.

Kitchen Tips

• Pack the brown sugar firmly into the measuring cup; loosely measured sugar throws off the sweetness balance
• Pull the cookies when they look barely golden, not brown. They continue cooking on the hot sheet for those 2 minutes of rest time
• Use semi-sweet chips, not milk chocolate. The slight bitterness balances the sweet dough
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; they actually get chewier overnight

Variations

• Butter swap: Replace shortening with butter for a richer flavor but flatter, crispier cookie
• Nutty version: Fold in ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans with the chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate upgrade: Use dark chocolate chunks instead of semi-sweet chips for a more intense cocoa hit