Spiced Oatmeal Cranberry Apricot Cookies

I have to admit, when I started searching Cupcake Muffin's blog for this month's SRC, I was like a kid in a candy store.  Oohhh ooohhh look at all the yummy cookie recipes, I want that!  Wait, wait, look at all the delicious cake recipes, I want that!  What?  There's more sugary stuff over there too?  What they hey, I'll just take all of it.  Consequently, I didn't make just one recipe from Sara's blog, I actually tried three different ones over the course of the month.  But, one of those recipes was one that she made for her SRC before, so I chose not to showcase that one.  Instead, I bring you some amazing Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Apricots. 

I teach a group of teenage girls and I like to make their birthdays special by presenting them with an assortment of cookies.  Each month, I change things up and try new recipes and Sara's oatmeal cookie recipe looked like just the thing to make.  I didn't have any dried cherries, but I did have some dried cranberries, so I added those in instead.  I also didn't have any cardamom on hand, so I subbed in some ginger powder.

 

These cookies came out just like the ones in Sara's picture, all thick and chewy and full of orange and red bits of fruit that looked like jewels.  My mom saw them cooling on the counter and, after asking if it was alright to take one (she knows I gotta take pics first), promptly declared that they were really good!  I ate one myself and boy was she right.  Even better, these are totally healthy - just bursting with fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C.  Okay, maybe you don't care about that.  In that case, they're bursting with flavor, fruitiness, and spiciness that can't be beat.

Sara, your cookies rock! My tastebuds thank you.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Apricots (adapted from Cupcake Muffin)

1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
2 sticks softened butter
1-1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3/4 cups quick oats (not instant oats)
6 ounces dried cranberries
3 ounces dried apricots, diced

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger powder and set aside.
2. Beat together the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the vanilla and beat to incorporate.
3. Add the flour mixture and stir in with a rubber spatula until the flour is mixed in enough not to fly out of the mixer.  Then beat until just incorporated.  Add the oats and beat until just combined.  Stir in the cranberries and apricots with a rubber spatula.
4. Cover the bowl and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with foil or parchment.
6.  Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, and gently roll into a ball with your palms.  Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cookies just begin to brown.
 7.   Let cool on a cooling rack. 

Ultimate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This was one of the very first recipes that I posted on this blog. Of course, at that time, I didn't even have a camera, so there was no picture. Which is such a pity because if any cookie deserves to have a picture, it is these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. Yes, I realize they're not the most eye-catching cookie around. However, if you close your eyes and let your tastebuds be the judge, you'll see why these cookies are #1 in my book.


Crispy edges? Check. Soft, chewy middle? Check. Bursting with all the peanut butter flavor you could ever want? Oh you better believe it. After trying this recipe, I have never and will never try any other. They are just too good to be beat.


Sure you can add chocolate chips, or drizzle them with chocolate. You can even do as the actual recipe from Allrecipes states and make a peanut butter filling to sandwich them together just like the ones from the Girl Scouts. But, in my opinion, these cookies are more than delicious enough to stand on their own without all that jazz. They're peanut butter oatmeal cookies at their very, very best.

And that is why I just had to make them again and post about them once more, this time with a picture.

Ultimate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (from Allrecipes)

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. rolled oats

Cream the butter with the peanut butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the oats. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10 min. or until cookies are firm to the touch. (You may have to use a spatula to flatten the cookies down halfway through the baking time.)

Chocolate Orange Cookies

Do you like chocolate? I know, who doesn't, right? Well, how about oranges? And, how about chocolate AND orange together? It's certainly one of my favorite combos. Alright, I have a lot of favorite flavor combos, but who said you could only have one favorite.


At any rate, the two come together harmoniously in these cookies. Eating them is pure bliss. You take a bite and the crisp orange-sugar crust shatters the moment it touches your lips. Then, your teeth sink into soft, chocolatey cakiness. One bite and you'll definitely be craving more.


Chocolate Orange Cookies (Dulce Dough)

2 Tbsp. orange zest
1 1/3 c. sugar, divided
2/3 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Combine 2 tsp. orange zest with 1/3 c. sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is orange and fragrant.

Rub the remaining orange zest into the 1 cup of sugar with your fingers until it is orange and fragrant. Cream with the butter. Add the egg and mix well.

Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll each ball in the orange-sugar mixture.

Place balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. or until set. Cool slightly and remove from cooking sheet.

Notes:
1. The recipe doesn't say to do this, but I'd recommend chilling the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. My dough was very sticky (like thick cake batter) before I chilled it, but was much more manageable once it was cold.

2. I ended up using 2 tsp. of zest for the rolling sugar (which was double the amount originally stated in the recipe) and then using the other 4 tsp. for the cookie dough. I couldn't really taste the orange in the cookie itself, so next time, I'd probably increase the total amount of zest to 2 Tbsp.

3. I found that the chilled dough made for thicker cookies, which I liked. The dough that got warm out of the fridge made for flatter cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies and My 2nd Blogiversary

As I mentioned earlier this week, I just couldn't decide on only one recipe from Fake Ginger's blog. So, I made not one, but two recipes from it. The first was these Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies. The second was these Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. The title alone is a mouthful, but then again, these cookies are chock full of all sorts of goodness. You have lots of fiber from the oats, anti-oxidants from the cranberries, and white chocolate chips (cause you always need something sweet).


These cookies were absolutely delicious. It was a fantastic oatmeal cookie base, thick and chewy. I just know it would work well with spices added in or other fruits or nuts. As far as oatmeal cookie recipes go, this one's a keeper!

And, wouldn't you know, today is my 2nd blogiversary! It's been one amazing year with even more recipes, more blogger friendships, and tons of sweets that you've shared on Sweets for a Saturday. I've loved every day of it. Here's to another sweet year!


Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Fake Ginger)

2/3 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. dried cranberries
2/3 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well.

Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 30 cookies

Festive Oat and Candy Cookie Bars

Week 10 already? We're really flying. I just can't believe Christmas is right around the corner. Speaking of Christmas, I'll be having a great giveaway starting tomorrow for Orglamix makeup. It would make a great gift for someone or, if you want to gift yourself with it, be my guest (I'd do the same).

Thank you also for all your congratulations last week. I felt so loved.

For my pick this week, I made these Festive Oat and Candy Cookie Bars.


After seeing them at Louanne's Kitchen, I just couldn't resist. I'm definitely glad I gave in to the temptation because these bars were everything she said they would be. They were gooey and chocolatey and yummy to the very last bite. Like Louanne, I made these with M&Ms because that's what I had on hand. I also like how the M&Ms give the bars a really festive look for the holidays. But feel free to use other types of candies too if that's what you have in your pantry. According to Louanne, Snickers, Almond Joy, and Twix are all heavenly as well.

One word to the wise - she recommends lining the pan with parchment paper. So, what's wrong with the picture below?


Yup, I thought I could get away with simply greasing the pan. I realized what a mistake that was later on when I had to practically chisel my bars out of it. Lesson learned.

Festive Oat and Candy Cookie Bars (Louanne's Kitchen)

2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I omitted these)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups M&Ms, divided
1 14-oz can condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray a 13x9 pan, then line with parchment paper, so that paper extends over long-side of pan; set aside.

Mix oats, flour, pecans, brown sugar, baking soda and salt together. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle melted butter into oat mixture; mix until crumbly.

Remove 2 cups of mixture and pat remaining mixture into prepared pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool; lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Melt 1 cup of the M&M's in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds; remove and combine with condensed milk, stirring well. Pour over crust and set aside. Combine reserved crumb mixture with reserved 1/2 cup of M&M's; sprinkle over M&;M and condensed milk mixture. Bake for 28-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Note: I'd definitely recommend chilling these bars overnight in the fridge before cutting them. If not, they'll be a little too gooey and won't hold their bar shape very well.

This recipe is linked to:
Prairie Story Recipe Swap Thursday
Friday Potluck
Friday Favorites
Foodie Fridays
Feature Yourself Fridays
Homemade Holidays Recipe Swap
Saturday's Party

Week 10 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

Spiced Oatmeal Shortbread

Steph's Bite by Bite blog must be seriously inspiring me because this is the second time I've made a recipe after seeing her post it on her blog. First, it was these Pumpkin Pie Bars/Brownies. Now, it was her Spiced Oatmeal Shortbread Wedges. What can I say? Her stuff just looks good, really good.

I did alter the recipe, however, based upon my own taste and limitations. I didn't toast the oats simply because I sort of missed that step when I was reading the recipe. Oops. Well, there's always a next time. I also increased the brown sugar and, since I like my cookies spicy, I increased the spices as well and added some cardamom. Then, since I don't have a food processor (I'm telling you, one of these days I'll get one), I cut the butter in by hand using a pastry cutter. It's just as effective, but it'll take a little longer. Finally, I used turbinado sugar on the top instead of regular sugar to add a little extra crunch.

As I type this out, the cookies are baking in my oven right now and it smells incredible. The oats on top also give it a nice rustic look.

The taste, at first, was incredibly subtle. I almost thought that maybe I should have tripled the spices. But, after letting the cookies sit for a day, the flavors had time to set and I could really taste that nice spiciness. I think I'd increase the sugar, just a little more, but these cookies are still a good change from the everyday shortbread.


Note: My changes to the recipe are in blue. For the original recipe, just click on the title below.

Spiced Oatmeal Shortbread (adapted from Steph's Bite by Bite)

1/2 c. regular rolled oats
1 c. flour
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1/2 c. butter, diced
2 tsp. milk (I omitted this)
1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Spread oats out on a baking sheet and bake 6-8 min. until oats are light brown. Let cool completely. In a food processor, combine 1/3 c. cooled oats with the flour, brown sugar, and spices. Cover and process until oats are ground. Add butter pieces to food processor. Cover and pulse until mixture just comes together. Form dough into a ball.

Pat dough into an 8" circle on an ungreased cookie sheet. If desired, make a scalloped edge. Brush dough lightly with milk (I omitted this). Sprinkle with the remaining oats and sugar; press oat mixture lightly into the dough. Cut into 10 wedges (leave in wedges in circle).

Bake for 25-30 min. or until center is set. Recut circle into wedges while warm. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 min. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

This recipe is linked to:
Tuesdays At the Table
A Beautiful Mess' Tasty Tuesdays
Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesdays
Hearth and Soul Hop
Whatcha Makin' Wednesday
Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight: Oats

Perfect Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

The search is OVER. I have now found the best, and I mean best, peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe. Thank goodness that I found it on the second try. It beats Dorie's PB Oatmeal Chipsters by a mile. They are nice and crispy and peanut-buttery. I dare you to stop after eating just one.

I found the recipe on the Allrecipes website. I absolutely love the site since you can find all sorts of recipes there with tons of reviews and ratings. This recipe, by the way, was a 5-star with 547 ratings. Yep, when there are that many good reviews, you simply can't go wrong.

I opted to make them without the peanut butter filling. Although, sandwiching them together with chocolate or drizzling them with melted chocolate also sounds like a wonderful idea. Or putting chocolate chips in the batter. Yes, a little something extra would certainly not be scorned, but, they are amazing enough to stand on their own. Anything extra would simply be icing on the cake (or cookie as it were).

I have only three words left to say about this cookie: THIS . . . . IS . . . . IT!!!!!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies (from Allrecipes)

3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (add only a pinch if using salted butter)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. quick cooking oats

Filling:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Cream the butter with the peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and oats. Add to the butter mixture. Drop by teaspoons onto a baking sheet and press each mound down to form 1/4" thick cookies. Bake at 350F for 10 min. or until cookies are firm to the touch.

Combine the ingredients for the filling and spread onto half the cooled cookies. Top with the other cookies to form sandwiches.

Note: I used Kroger brand crunchy peanut butter. I prefer this one because they use peanut halves rather than those tiny pieces of peanuts. But, your favorite brand of peanut butter will do.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

(picture from Obsessed with Baking blog)

So, I finally got around to trying this recipe that's been so highly rated by lots of people who made them. I had high hopes for this recipe. I mean, really, chocolate AND peanut butter AND oatmeal, how could you go wrong? Well, the cookies unfortunately did not blow me away. It just tasted like a good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I could faintly taste the peanut butter, but I would have liked it to be more up front and center. I suppose I could always substitute peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips and then drizzle the whole thing with melted chocolate. Now, THAT would be a COOKIE!!! But, who knows, maybe if I wait for the cookies to cool a little more, the flavor will become more pronounced. I'll just have to wait and see. However, regardless, I am still posting the recipe for posterity's sake.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, From My Home to Yours)

3 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Combine the oats, flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet. (they will spread, I promise) Bake 13-15 min. (they will still be slightly soft in the middle). They'll firm as they cool.