{recipe} Meyer Lemon Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate

I have a weird relationship with white chocolate. Applied judiciously, it can be fantastic, but it’s definitely not one of my favorite things. One issue is that it’s really sweet. So what cuts sweet better than sour and makes white chocolate sing? That’s the question that got me thinking about doing an oatmeal cookie with Meyer lemon and white chocolate. This is a combination that will help make a white chocolate skeptic reconsider.

Another thing about white chocolate and me: a long time ago, when I was younger and thinner and poorer and less whiny about wearing high heels and short dresses, I was invited to a really fabulous magazine party that was much fancier than my usual scene. I didn’t have a ride to the after-party, so I hitched one in a limo filled with the members of an award-winning African-American burlesque troop. After a raucous ride during which we became instant best friends in a way that only those hazy late nights can produce, I was anointed with an honorary burlesque nickname by these rambunctious and raunchy ladies: “White Chocolate.” So every time I think about white chocolate, I think about that time in my life and laugh at/with/to myself.

I am still pretty fun, but these days I don’t often find myself in the kind of situations where I’m randomly hanging out with ten or twelve burlesque dancers. At this point I’m usually content to stay home in my slippers with a New Yorker and a glass of wine. But inside I know: I was once “White Chocolate.”

Meyer Lemon Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
• zest of 3 Meyer lemons (can substitute regular lemon zest)
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• juice of 1 Meyer lemon (can use regular lemon juice)
• 1 1/2 cup oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely
• 1 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Put brown sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Using a paddle attachment or hand mixer, combine until zest is well-incorporated into sugar.
• Add butter and mix until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix again.
• Add oats and mix again. Then, add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix again to combine. Add walnuts and white chocolate, mixing just to incorporate.
• Scoop or spoon dough onto ungreased cookie sheets in rounded balls.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and just cooked through. Wait a few minutes then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
• Store in an airtight container if not eating within 24 hours.