My thing to bake any time of the year are cookies. It’s taken some time to master the skill of cookie baking – make sure there’s enough leavening agent to dry ingredients, bake it JUST enough so it’s not overcooked, etc etc etc. These bad girls were quite the hit with my guy and family – he comes over specifically to snag a few while he visits and to take a bag home. I’ve stuck in a few tips and tricks to make your baking experience a little easier! I can tell you that the dough making process on oatmeal cookies is almost “fool proof” since everything is mixed into one bowl – it’s the baking process you need to keep an eye on!

Although I added a small amount of chia seeds, it does add an awesome nutritional profile AND a nutty crunch to the cookie. I know I’m into this new spin on a typical oatmeal cookie!

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 mL) oats
• 3/4 cup (180 mL) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar – I usually add a bit less since this sugar adds quite the sweet punch
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chia seeds – add more if you like the crunch
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt – omit this if you’re using salted butter/margarine
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon or all spice, ground
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries – chop them up if you don’t like big chunks of cranberries
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup (125 – 180 mL) chocolate chips (dark,  milk, white or a mix of them all!)

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter or hard margarine – if you don’t like flat cookies, add a bit less
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla

What to do: 

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F – if you tend to have a hotter oven like I do, preheat at 325 degrees F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
3. In a electric mixer (or with a wooden spoon), beat the butter/margarine until soft and pliable. Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated into the fat – about 1 minute in the mixer.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. It may help dividing the dry ingredients into a few batches to avoid a big, floury mess but I tend to add it all into the wet ingredients and slowly stir it in. Mix until all the dry ingredients in moist – about 1 minute.
5. Using a teaspoon or tablespoon (depending on how big you like your cookies), spoon onto a baking sheet. I used a tablespoon for my cookies.
6. Bake for approx 8-10 minutes until there a slight golden brown colour – the cookie will still look very wet and “uncooked” when it comes out. This part is important to make sure you get a crispy outside but chewy inside. The cookies have some carry-over cooking time so it will fully cook once they come out of the oven to cool.
7. Cool for 10 minutes and NOM!

What’s your favourite cookie recipe for the holiday season? Please share in the comments!