Chocolate salty oats

It was the label that caught my eye at the check-out counter at Phoenix Fruits on Wednesday. "Chocolate salty oats," it read. "Handcrafted cookies with a subtly sweet, curiously salty, chocolaty taste." It seemed Cape Cod baker Terri Horn had made a checklist of my favorite tastes and ingredients and baked them into a round, homemade recipe for utter delight.

I grabbed a bag, and threw it on the counter. Within minutes, I was back in the truck, breaking off a crumbly chunk of the deep brown chocolate oats for sampling. By the time I arrived home, my shirt was littered with oats and salt. The cookies tasted thick, hearty, and strangely healthy—almost as though the high quality of the ingredients made for a biscuit with less sugar than the average sweet.

A visit to the Cummaquid based company's website (www.kayakcookies.com) proved this theory had some merit. Horn says the secret is in her small, hand-mixed batches, which allow the cookies to retain the texture and wholesomeness of the organic Canadian oats they are made from. She has the baking ethic of a true local artisan—dedicated to quality, and willing to experiment.

Whether you dig into a package of Kayak Cookies or sprinkle a dash of sea salt on my twist below, I recommend opening up for some salty sweets.

SALTY OATMEAL COOKIES

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together 1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Beat in a separate bowl: 2 sticks salted butter, 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, 2 large eggs, and 2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients; then add 2 cups chocolate chips and 3 and 1/2 cups old fashioned oats. Drop the dough onto well-greased cookie sheets and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until almost firm in the center. Grind a half crank of sea salt over each cookie as it comes out of the oven and let cool.