Saturday, July 12, 2008

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I must admit I may have over-baked yesterday (my arm is hurting a bit), but the oven was on already, and I had so much ingredients left over that I might as well...

My first batch were Cranberry Oatmeal cookies. This is a very trusty recipe that I found on Foodtv.com years ago (they no longer have it). These cookies have been requested to make repeated appearances, such that I made a batch for a friend, and included some ingredients, sets of measuring cups & spoons and the recipe so she can make them for her hubby and their little bundle of joy who will be greeting them in a few months!


I have made countless dozens of cookies from this recipe, with some modifications of course - I tend to use less butter and sugar than called for, and I added some walnuts for crunch & texture. I've also made variations of this recipe - soaking the cranberries in orange juice or rum, adding some rum to the batter, etc. If you want the cranberries to maintain their tartness (which I like in this recipe), leave them as is.

A word about the cardamon and cloves - buy them ungrinded. The cardamon should come in pods, and the cloves should look like tiny wooden nails (the home improvement kind). It takes an extra step to grind them and all, but they stay fresher that way. Below is the original recipe from Foodtv.com; I've added my take/modifications in parenthesis.


Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
serves 5 dozen

1C unsalted butter at room temperature (I use about 2 tbs less)
3/4C granulated sugar (I use a couple of teaspoons less)
3/4C brown sugar (I don't pack it that tight)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamon
(1/4 tsp cloves)
3C rolled oats
1C dried cranberries
(1/2C toasted walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well blended.
Add cranberries and mix.
Drop batter by teaspoon full onto baking sheet.
Bake 10-12min, or until golden.
Enjoy!

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