Saturday, January 12, 2013

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Spice Cookies


These are simply amazing!  They are the perfect blend of spices, chocolate, and cranberries.  My stack of cookies kept decreasing because my husband kept swiping them!  These taste great warm from the oven.  I know the list of ingredients looks long, but don't be dismayed.


Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Spice Cookies
1 & 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt (can use as much as 1 t)
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
3/4 C shortening
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 C whole oats
1 & 1/2 C dried cranberries
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º. 
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice in medium bowl.  Set aside. 
In mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugars until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and combine well. 
Add flour mixture a little bit at a time and stir until just combined.
Add oats, cranberries and chocolate chips and blend well.  (I do all this in the mixer.)

Using a regular spoon (soup or cereal size), drop dough onto cookie sheet.  Dough is a bit "wet" so you might want to use parchment paper on your cookie sheets and use 2 spoons rather than get your hands all messy.

Bake 12-14 mins or until light brown.  Remove to cooling rack.  Cool completely & store in air-tight container.

**The original recipe stated to use a 1/4 cup scoop to drop dough on the cookie sheet.  I don't like large cookies, so I use a regular spoon.