Soft oats and cranberry cookies

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Who doesn’t like cranberries?

They are tart, tangy and explode in the mouth with their vibrant, zesty flavours. They make a great addition to cakes, tarts and even cookies. What’s more, I believe that they have the distinct edge of taking a humble dish and elevating it to a level of deliciousness.

My cranberry and oat cookies are one such example. They are chewy, thick mounds of scrumptiousness that are fragrant with the delectable scent of both cinnamon and vanilla. I love that combination – cinnamon and vanilla. I believe it’s a match made in heaven.

Now, although this recipe calls for quick cooking rolled oats, I used quaker cooking oats and was super happy with the result. What’s more, those oats are easily available at any supermarket or can be ordered via amazon.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour or maida
• 3 cups of oats
• 1 cup of chocolate chips (they add that extra oomph to elevate the cookies)
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter then omit the salt. The butter should be softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar (dark or light, does not really matter)
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence/extract

 

METHOD

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Keep that aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the butter and beat with an electric whisk till it turns creamy. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and whisk again till the mixture becomes smooth.
3. 
4. Add the eggs, one by one, whisking all the time. Finally, add the vanilla.
5. To the above add the flour mixture and whisk till all ingredients are well combined. You can do this by hand also.
6. 
7. To the above add the oats, cranberries and choco-chips. Gently fold them in till you achieve uniform, thick dough.
8. 
9. Cover the dough and let it refrigerate for about 30 minutes. The dough will turn hard in the fridge and that will help the cookies to retain their shape when we bake them. But, if you intend to keep the dough in the fridge for longer, say a few hours, then I recommend you remove it from the fridge and allow a 20-30 minute period for the dough to loosen a bit. Only then should you bake it.
10. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
11. Line two baking trays with parchment/baking sheets.
12. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookies and place them on the baking tray. Leave a 2 inch space between each cookie because they will expand on heating. With a finger, gently press down upon each cookie to flatten them a little.
13. 
14. Bake in batches at a 180 deg C for about 13-14 minutes or until lightly brown and firm on the sides. Don’t worry about the centers. They will firm up as they cool but will still be soft and chewy on the inside. In a microwave oven the baking time could be 20-22 minutes.
15. Once done, allow them to cool on the tray for five minutes. They will firm up slightly. Then transfer them to a cooling rack for further cooling.
16. These cookies can be kept in a jar at room temperature for upto a week.
17. 

Note – if you want to increase the chocolate in the cookies then add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to the mix