Recipe: Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

This is a recipe I really enjoy throwing together when I'm looking for something fairly simple. It's a nice alternative to a traditional chocolate chip cookie yet is unique enough to catch the attention of friends. It still has those yummy little chocolate chips, but the oatmeal adds texture while the cranberries give a hint of tartness.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and using a wooden spoon), beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir this flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Add the oats, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries, and stir until well blended.

4. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons or with a cookie scoop (check out my recommendation in this post) onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, about 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a couple minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

I always enjoy wrapping the treats in something fun. In the picture above is a very inexpensive option. These cellophane bags are available at many grocery and craft stores. (Check here for a complete description on the Wilton site.) They come with silver twist ties, but I dress them up a bit with a small piece of fabric ribbon. Another option is the window coffee bag pictured below. (Papermart.com is great for lots of packaging supplies.) Any creative packaging makes simple baked goods look like a very special gift.


I haven't been able to come up with another name for this recipe. Simply listing the ingredients doesn't seem all that creative. Any ideas??

Enjoy!