Chocolate-Drizzled Oatmeal Shortbread

As I walked out the door this morning to take Stella to gymnastics, I grabbed two cookbooks.  (I use the term gymnastics very loosely.  It's more like playing on gymnastics equipment, mats, and a very long trampoline.  She loves it.)  It's nice to have something to do, like browsing through cookbooks, while Stella is hanging upside down from a bar, doing somersaults down wedge mats or bouncing up and down on a trampoline.  I also brought with me a few small pieces of cardstock to write down some of the recipes I would like to try and any ingredients that I may not have a home.  As I was browsing the pages of The Sprouted Kitchen, the women next to me asked me what cookbook I was reading.  I happily showed her the cover and shared my excitement for some of the recipes that I have already tried.  She seemed interested and wrote down the name of the cookbook and blog on a piece of paper and stuck it in her purse.   (Hopefully her purse isn't anything like mine which often resembles a deep abyss filled with receipts, grocery lists, change and half pieces of Extra gum that taste like pennies.  If it is, she may never find that piece of paper again.)  On the top of my "to make" list, were these cookies.  I had all the ingredients at home and with words like dark chocolate and flaked sea salt, not much convincing was needed.

Chocolate-Drizzled Oatmeal Shortbread 

From The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose or rice flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for garnish (optional)

In a food processor, pulse the oats to create coarse flour.  You want a bit of texture to remain, not pureed until it is completely smooth.  Set aside.

In the food processor or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix again.  Add the oat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and nutmeg and pulse a few times to combine, scraping down the sides of the food processor or your bowl as necessary.  The dough will be fairly tacky.

Using your hands, roll the dough into a uniform log about 3 inches in diameter.  If you like, sprinkle a handful of rolled oats and a few tablespoons of turbinado sugar on your work surface and roll the log in the mixture to create a crust.  Roll the log up in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and preferably two.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Working quickly, slice the log into 1/2-inch coins and spread them on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake until the edges just begin to brown, 14 to 16 minutes.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.  Arrange the piece of parchment you used for cooking the cookies under the wire rack for easy cleanup.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on the tops of the cookies in a zig-zag motion.  Sprinkle a bit of flaked salt on the top of each cookie.  The chocolate will firm up in about 15 to 20 minutes. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.