Hand Mixed Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are hand mixed--which Genieveve Ko contends makes the cookies crisper on the edges and more tender in the middle. You also make them smaller, so they can let more people try them more times. I see them as a good recipe to take for a pandemic family trip, where you rent a house and cook for yourselves but you are at the mercy of what the kitchen has. You can buy a cookie sheet if need be (I never do this, but I should really look at how far the Airbnb is from a thrift store and a good market as much as gauging the view), but you are unlikely to buy a mixer. ¾ cup/100 grams all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon fine sea salt 8 tablespoons/114 grams unsalted butter, softened ½ cup/94 grams packed brown sugar ¼ cup/59 grams granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups/134 grams old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup/189 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips ½ cup/63 grams chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Mix the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then stir in the cream and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and gently stir until no traces of flour remain. Add the oats, chocolate chips and nuts (if using), and fold until evenly distributed. Loosely scoop a rounded ball of dough using a measuring tablespoon or small cookie scoop and drop onto a prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls 2 inches apart. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on the sheet on a wire rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.