Some History on Teaism’s Salty Oat Cookie

I know how beloved Teaism‘s Salty Oat cookie is among several of you, so when husband pointed out this tidbit in the Washington City Paper today, I knew I had to mention it to you all:

If Teaism‘s salty oat and the one Marvelous Market sells were in a race, Teaism’s cookie would not only finish first but would be on its third glass of milk by the time Marvelous Market’s dragged its cracker-dry, overly wide, haphazardly salted body across the finish line.  It’s all very sad, really, since the salty oat was, essentially, created at Marvelous Market.  Former pastry chef Terri Horn worked there in the early 90s, which is when she started tinkering with the store’s oatmeal cookie to make it more “nutritious,” she says.  After leaving the market, she continued to tinker and, eventually, signed to make the cookies for Teaism, which still sells her version – a buttery and cinnamon-flecked mound plumped with rolled oats and juicy raisins, liberally salted both in the cookie and on top.  Marvelous Market apparently did some tinkering as well and ended up making its cookies larger, more flat and crisp than chewy and dense.  Most egregious is what the market’s done to the salt.  It’s just plopped on top, sometimes just in one spot, making it more like a bad pretzel.  Don’t go anywhere but Teaism for the singular pleasure of a salty oat.

If you are not in or near Washington, DC, you can make your Salty Oat cookie in your own kitchen, thanks to Pink Heels having the foresight to ask for the recipe and kindly publishing it on her blog.  I have not had a salty oat cookie in a long time, on account of being currently dairy-free and gluten-free, but when I could indulge in them, I actually preferred the more recently developed chocolate salty oat cookie version.  Either the original version with raisins or the chocolate version are both wonderful.