Whole Wheat, Honey Sweetened Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey (you could do half honey, half brown sugar if the heavy sweetness of honey seems like too much)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I actually don't measure nutmeg, just have a go at it with my Microplane until I think it smells nut)
• 1 cup oats, generous cup (thick rolled are best for chewy cookies, quick cooking oats leave you with wimpy cookies)
• 1 orange, zest of (totally optional, but it gives the cookies a nice fragrance and flavor in addition to the chocolate) (optional)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I've used dark chocolate, white chocolate, even Skor bits or Heath chips, all are sublime)

Directions

1. 1

   Cream the butter and honey together in the bowl of a stand mixer (it can also be done with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon if you're feeling ambitious and particularly strong).

2. 2

   Add the egg (if you're doing this with a wooden spoon, it's best to beatthe egg prior to adding), vanilla and milk and stir until it's all combined and creamy.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet batter. Stir to incorporate.

4. 4

   Add oats, orange zest and chocolate chips. Mix.

5. 5

   On a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet (seriously, invest in one of these options) spoon out the cookie batter. I use about a tablespoon per cookie.

6. 6

   Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are nicely browned.