According to The Houston Chronicle, Barbara Bush's Chocolate Chip Cookies were so well loved that The Houstonian pastry chef asked her for the recipe. Mrs. Bush shared it, and the cookies have since appeared at special events catered by the hotel. You've probably made similar versions of this recipe (I know I have), but I wanted to try this one in honor of Barbara Bush, who my relatives who'd met her described as "a delightful person".
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Using Quick Oats and Not Instant
Barbara Bush's Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is also interesting because it calls for instant oats rather than old fashioned or quick cooking. Not counting steel cut, the most common are types of oats in the USA are old fashioned, quick cooking and instant. Instant oats are the most processed of the three, usually come in little packets, and cook up a bit mushy. They're generally not called for in recipes, and since I can't imagine Barbara Bush breaking open 6 or 7 packets of instant oatmeal, I'm thinking she used the quick cooking type.
Side Note: I have successfully used flavored instant oats in cookies and they work pretty well. It's kind of fun because you can base your cookie flavor around the flavor of the oats, which usually come in Cinnamon Raisin, Apple Cinnamon, and Maple & Brown Sugar. The instant oatmeal cookie recipes call for less sugar to allow for the sugar in the packets.
Barbara Bush's Chocolate Chip Cookies Size
Barbara Bush made her cookies 1 tablespoon size. I had to struggle to keep them at a tablespoon because I've grown accustomed to making cookies that are larger. Glad I followed the recipe because the smaller size ones are just right and you get more edge. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off them, so they are going in the freezer.
Recipe
Barbara Bush's Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, salted (228 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup brown sugar, light (210 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups flour (250 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups instant oatmeal (or quick cooking)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 12 oz chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Blend butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add 2 eggs and beat.
- Sift (I just mixed) together flour, soda, salt, then add to batter and stir until blended.
- Add instant oatmeal, vanilla and chocolate chips.
- Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Anna says
Mela, I've been using 50% bread and 50% AP just for fun in different cookies lately. It sometimes makes cookies a little thicker. For these cookies I've only used unbleached AP and they've always been fine.
Mela says
Hi Anna, how are you? Would you recommend 2 kinds of flour, all purpose and bread flour using this recipe? What will be the right proportion? Thank you.
Ann Gower says
I used quick oats and mini chocolate chips. 9 minutes at 350 and let them rest a few minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. They were really good. I got 7 dozen out of this recipe.
Anna says
Thanks Karen!
karenb says
These cookies are very good and need to be small to be crunchy.
I googled this recipe and apparently it appeared in several Publications over the years. All the recipes use Quick Oats and NOT instant. The recipe that appeared in Family Circle magazine, specifically states NOT Instant Oats.
https://www.familycircle.com/recipe/cookies/barbara-bushs-revised-cookie-recipe/
Sonya says
Yum!
Sue says
Sometimes a good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie is just the right cookie.
Anna says
Sue, the Big Flat Chocolate Chunk are my current favorite. I think I like them better than the NYT cookies. These are good too, just in a different class with the oats.
Sue says
They sound like good cookies. Yesterday I made your Big Flat Chocolate Chunk Cookies. So good!