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Four years, a brand new mixer, and an unfamiliar recipe. I had to pick a recipe that would survive the 900 mile trek from Cincinnati to Boston, it had to be delicious, and it had to be made with my brand new tangerine Kitchen Aid mixer. The pressure was on. I had almonds and cranberries on hand, and then somehow I thought…oatmeal! And you really can’t have a good cookie without chocolate chips. Those had to go in, too! This cookie was going to be loaded. Loaded with ingredients and lots of love. After all, a recipe to celebrate four years together with the most amazing man I’ve ever met has to have a lot going for it.
I searched around and finally found a great recipe with all the required ingredients from Smitten Kitchen. I switched it up a bit because of the items I had on hand and cut out some sugar and nuts. But I have to say, these are the most beautiful cookies I have ever made. The texture, the shape, and the color came out perfectly, not to mention the crunchy outside and the soft middle, with the overloading tastes of all the ingredients! It just makes you smile. Just like your boyfriend.
Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Almond Cookies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted
12 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 handful of dried cranberries, depending on desired proportion
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (nonstick baking mat). If you don’t have either of these, just use the baking sheet. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in the bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about four minutes. Stir in the first egg completely, and then stir in the second egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a separate bowl or fluff them all together with a fork. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been mixed in thoroughly, add the second half. Stir in the oats, almonds, and chocolate chips. Form large tablespoon-sized cookies and place onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack or aluminum foil. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.
*To package and ship: Layer parchment paper in between cookies. Tightly wrap the layers of cookies in aluminum foil so they they don’t move around. Place foil package in a ziploc bag with some extra air for cushion. Line shipping box with fluffy things to protect your lovely cookies.
These cookies finally made it to Boston, and hopefully they are only the first of many more goodies to travel the distance. We will be cooking and designing in two different states for a while because of this thing we call graduate architecture school. But thanks to the great mail system in our country and this blog, we will continue to share our food and design creations with each other and you!
