There’s nothing better than combining your two favorite ingredients into a single cookie.

Which is why I love the oatmeal-chocolate chip combo.

Except these cookies aren’t always the easiest to make, especially if you want soft, chewy, perfectly shaped cookies that have that right balance of oats and chocolate.

It really comes down to technique, actually.

The one thing I’ve learned from baking oatmeal cookies is that you have to resist the urge to keep them in the oven. They will look undercooked when you pull them out. But oatmeal cookies always set up as they’re cooling — and you have to have faith. Otherwise, you’ll end up with hard, crunchy cookies that are OK — but they could’ve been so much better.

Here’s the step-by-step, with the recipe below:

Packed brown sugar

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Start by adding 1 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar — you have to pack it! — to a cup (or two sticks) of melted butter.

Oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies
slightly modified from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats (though I used regular rolled oats for a better texture)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (though I used an entire bag of mini morsels, which I recommend)
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Onto ungreased cookies sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about two inches apart.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.