Day 8: Oatmeal Cranberry Raisin Cookies

Surprises can be quite awesome sometimes. But other times, they can be pretty terrible.

Like when I got this Polly Pocket Magical Mansion playset for Christmas. Awesome.

This thing lights up! The dance floor. It. Lights. Up. Can you believe this thing? Then I found out my cousin got the same playset too. So whenever I went over to her place, I still got to play with this truly magical mansion. I was never without my Polly Pocket.

Then there was a time when I was running around at school and I slipped and fell. I thought my ankle was sprained when I couldn't walk right after I got up. Turns out I had actually fractured it. Terrible.

And not only that, but I had to hobble around with crutches for about 2 months, close to the start of summer.

Today's "surprise," however, is awesome. Today's Day 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies was going to be some good ol' fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies. But then, I had a bunch of dried cranberries occupying some pantry space, rent-free. So decided to put them to work. This recipe is pretty much the same as the one I featured last Christmas. But you know what? The cranberries made a world of difference. Game changer.

The tangy, tart surprise totally balances the sweetness of the raisins. Who would have thought? You'll definitely never go back to just simply raisins again.

Oatmeal Cranberry Raisin Cookies

Adapted from Allrecipes

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups rolled oats (old fashioned oats)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

make the dough

1. Cream together the butter and both sugars.

2. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract, making sure that everything is well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Make sure you do not over-mix the dough.

4. Stir in the roleld oats, raisins, and dried cranberries. You can use a large spoon or spatula, but I found it easiest to mix with my hands.

5. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

equipment prep

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line your baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

bake

1. Roll 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball and place on your prepared baking sheet. Be sure to space your cookies about 2 inches apart.

2. Bake the cookies at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

*** ENJOY!