Last year, pan-slammed chocolate chip cookies were declared Best. Cookies. Ever. by social media tinkerbells.

The technique involves slamming a pan of half-baked or just-baked cookies against the counter so that the air bubbles created by baking soda and beaten eggs will pop, flattening the cookies. Their tops then ripple like waves on a lake when a stone hits the surface. A dramatic look for mouthwatering photos.

But do they taste good? Of course. All chocolate chip cookies taste good to some degree. Their pan-slammed centers become dense like a cross between raw cookie dough and chocolate truffles. Extra buttery, sugary and chocolaty, they’re as indulgent as the act of posting pictures of them.

But sometimes you need a cookie with substance and chew, that reveals its depth and complexity with each bite. Something that makes you feel you can handle anything.

That’s what these cookies do. Chunky with crunchy walnuts, chewy with oats, fudgy with chocolate, these bake into thick, craggy disks with crisp edges and tender centers. They’re not technically chocolate chip cookies because they’re filled with chopped chocolate, but they deliver the same nostalgic comfort.

Chopping the chocolate yourself creates chunks that bake up nice and melty, but also thin slivers that season the dough throughout. Untoasted walnuts have a tannic edge to their nuttiness that balances the chocolate’s richness while highlighting its bittersweet side. And oats — lots of them — add a nuanced natural earthy sweetness to the white-and-brown-sugar base. Each bite gives you everything at once and also something new. You might hit a mother lode of chocolate or a walnut’s crackle, but always with the foundational oatmeal chew of a nicely salted, buttery cookie.

It’s not that these are the best cookies ever. They’re the best cookies right now. Because chocolate chip cookie trends are a reflection of our times. We need fortitude heading into 2020 and, so, these hearty, nutty chocolate chunk cookies.

When we were slamming pans last year, we needed a cookie that helped us look away from harsh realities and into magical dough wrinkles. Pan-slammed cookies helped us escape reality; these chunky ones will get us through it.

THICK AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

By Genevieve Ko

>> 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

>> 1 teaspoon baking soda

>> 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

>> 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

>> 3/4 cup granulated sugar

>> 1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

>> 1/4 cup heavy cream

>> 2 large eggs, room temperature

>> 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

>> 4 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats

>> 2 cups walnut halves and pieces

>> 14 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into half-inch chunks, reserving all the slivers that break off

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 large cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and both sugars with a mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy but not fluffy, about 3 minutes.

With machine running, add cream in a steady stream; beat until smooth.

Scrape bowl, reduce speed to medium- low and add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Beat just until smooth; scrape bowl.

On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, then oats. Scrape bowl, add walnuts and mix until evenly incorporated. Nuts will crack into smaller pieces. Add chocolate chunks and slivers; beat until well mixed.

Drop dough in 3-tablespoon balls onto a prepared sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Scoop out remaining dough while first batch bakes, then bake remaining sheets, one at a time.

Cool on pan on a wire rack. Let cool completely or eat them warm. No judgment. Makes about 3 dozen.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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Variations

>> Salted Chocolate Chunk Walnut Oatmeal Cookies: Sprinkle tops of dough balls lightly with flaky sea salt, fleur de sel or kosher salt before baking.

>> Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies: Substitute a quarter-cup vegetable oil for 4 tablespoons of the butter.

>> Make ahead: The dough may be formed into balls and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.