Believe it or not, some people in my household don't like chocolate cookies all that much. They like oatmeal cookies. So, in the heat of August, I've also been working on an oatmeal cookie that's a little crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, and that isn't just a run-of-the mill, back of the oatmeal box cookie. Don't get me wrong, I like the recipe on the back of the oatmeal box. It's pretty good. Nonetheless, for Advent, I want a special oatmeal cookie. So, I've adapted several recipes to get one that I think is worthy of the Christmas season. This version includes plenty of oats, some chopped dried cherries, pecans, dark chocolate chunks (the member of my household who doesn't especially like chocolate cookies, didn't complain about those), and a little less butter than typically found in oatmeal cookies. The cookies aren't "health food," but they have some nutritious ingredients, and are lots better than any store-bought cookie.
Advent Oatmeal Cookies -- Makes about 24
1 1/4 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/4 cup of regular (old fashioned) oats + 1 tablespoon
1 cup of toasted, chopped pecans
1 cup of dried cherries
1 cup of dark chocolate chunks
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1 tablespoon of milk
1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
In a food processor chop the dried cherries coarsely with 1 tablespoon of the oats (just a few pulses). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking power, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat them into the butter/sugar mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture, then the oats, cherries, pecans, and chocolate chunks. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour and preferable longer (overnight is fine). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or mist them lightly with cooking spray. Spoon out about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, spacing the cookies 2-3 inches apart. Shape the spooned-out dough into disks about an inch thick. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are set and the centers are just starting to brown. Don't worry if the cookies don't look completely done. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
