Our search for the perfect chocolate-chip treat ends—at Denver’s Fuel Cafe.

Soft, crispy, cakey…however you like your chocolate-chip cookies, we know these treats inspire devotion akin to that of barbecue. Partial to chewy varieties, we discovered Bob Blair’s nutty (thanks to pecans) and dense (thanks to oats) treat on our first visit to Fuel Cafe. In the two-and-a-half years since, we’ve eaten more than we’d like to admit—now you can, too.

5280 September 2010
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Fuel’s Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

  • ½ pound unsalted butter, softened but not melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
  • 2 cups mini chocolate chips
  • 2 cups pecans, chopped and untoasted

Preheat oven to 375°. In a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar for about 5 minutes. Add salt and baking soda. On low speed, add one egg at a time until incorporated. Do not over-mix. Add vanilla. Mix in flour at low speed until incorporated. Do not over-mix. Add oats, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans, only until combined. (Over-mixing results in tough cookies.)

Scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Fuel uses ¼ cup of dough per cookie, baked for approximately 11 to 12 minutes until golden brown. For smaller cookies, use one heaping tablespoon each and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool briefly on baking sheet before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Makes 16–18 large cookies or 24–30 smaller cookies.