Ingredients

• Dry ingredients

  2¼ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• Wet ingredients

  1 cup unsalted butter

  softened (2 sticks)

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup light brown sugar

  packed

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons milk

  optional — if dough seems dry

• Mix-ins

  1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1½ cups M&M's

• ½ cup roasted salted peanuts

  roughly chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F

   Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat so you can use one sheet for the whole bake and cleanup.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the old-fashioned oats and set the dry mixture aside.

3. Still using the large bowl (no extra dishes), beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and lighter in color. Stir in the creamy peanut butter until fully combined, then mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. If the mixture seems unusually stiff, stir in up to 2 tablespoons milk to loosen slightly. The dough should be thick and scoopable.

4. Fold the dry oat-and-flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined

   Fold the dry oat-and-flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Add the semisweet chocolate chips, M&M's, and chopped peanuts (if using) and stir until evenly distributed.

5. Use a cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon to drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten each mound with the back of the scoop or a spatula — these cookies spread a little but keep a thick, chewy profile.

6. Bake on the center rack until edges are set and lightly golden while centers still look slightly soft, about 10–12 minutes. For a chewier center, err toward the lower end of the time range. Rotate the pan once halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.

7. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes to finish setting (they firm up as they cool). Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely or serve warm. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Ingredients

• Apple filling

  2 lb apples

  peeled and cored weight; half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp, about 6 medium apples before trimming

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

  packed

• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

  freshly squeezed

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• Oat topping

  1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

  not steel-cut oats

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

  spooned into the cup and leveled

• ⅓ cup light brown sugar

  packed

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp fine salt

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter

  cold, cut into small cubes

Directions

1. Prepare the apples

   Prepare the apples. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), conventional setting, with a rack in the middle. Set an 8-inch square baking dish on a baking sheet. Peel and core the apples, weigh out 2 lb (907 g), then cut into even slices about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.

2. Mix the filling

   Mix the filling. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the filling's brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger until evenly coated. Transfer everything, including any juice in the bowl, to the baking dish and spread into an even layer.

3. Make the oat topping

   Make the oat topping. Combine the oats, topping flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them in with your fingertips, or use a fork or pastry blender, until the mixture forms damp, uneven crumbs. Leave some pea-sized clumps.

4. Cover the apples

   Cover the apples. Scatter the oat mixture evenly across the filling, keeping it loose rather than pressing it flat. Leave a few small gaps for the apple juices to bubble through. Place the baking dish, still on its baking sheet, on the middle oven rack.

5. Bake, rest and serve

   Bake, rest and serve. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the topping is golden, juice bubbles around the edges and a thin knife slips easily into the apples at the center. If the top browns first, cover loosely with foil and continue baking until the fruit is tender. Rest on a rack for 15 minutes, then spoon into six bowls.