cran-apple oatmeal cookies

now that the muffins are gone, i thought it was time to put another apple to use. this time? in cookies! i love oatmeal cookies and how they lend themselves so well to playing around with different fruit/nut/spice combinations. this time i left out the nuts and went for finely chopped apples and dried cranberries with a hint of cinnamon and ginger.

cran-apple oatmeal cookies
ingredients:
3/4 cup margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 apple, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup dried cranberries
3 cups oats

preheat oven to 350.

beat together margarine, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. add soy milk and mix until well combined.

add flour, baking soda, salt spices and stir until well mixed. add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. bake 12-15 minutes.

-d

homemade granola bars

I have professed my love for the Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten) in prior posts, and so will spare you. These delish granola bars come from her most recent book, Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. I have been meaning to make them for a couple of months, but only today found an excuse! I'm heading to San Francisco on Thursday to visit my partner in crime and blogging! Yay! And since airlines offer zero in the way of refreshments and to say that airport food is always gross/disappointing is an understatment, I decided I needed to take snacks! I perused the aisles at Trader Joe's, but nothing struck my fancy. And that's when I remembered this recipe. Wholesome, delicious. Mess-free (at least in the eating). I have made Ina's granola dozens of times (my mom makes it every week, to go with her homemade granola. Just so you know) and so these weren't much more complicated. I could not be happier with the results! Sweet, chewy, preservative free! Love 'em. I am, in fact, eating one as I type this. I just couldn't wait.

And ps - you can use whatever dried fruit you like. I ended up with cranberries and prunes (I was thinking dates, but for some reason grabbed prunes. Almost the same thing, right?) or omit the fruit completely! Enjoy!


Homemade Granola Bars
from The Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

yields 12 to 16 bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (ed. note: i omitted this)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 12 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in wheat germ.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degress.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruit and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet you fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.



- e

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you happen to live on the East Coast, you are probably covered in snow at the moment, dreaming of summertime and tropical getaways and fruity drinks with cute little umbrellas. And cursing winter in general. Since I was not prepared to invest in a team of huskies, I am stayed in today, admiring the white stuff from the comfort of my apartment and dreaming of something different. Namely, cookies. I don't know what it is this winter - ahem - that has inspired this cookie-baking zeal, but I am fairly certain that I could eat a cookie - or five - every day until they have to remove me from my apartment with a crane. So this morning, while watching news reports of the snow and subsequent school cancellations, I started scheming. What kind of cookies would I make? What did I have on hand to make said cookies with (because going outside, even around the corner, was just not an option today)? I decided I wanted something classic but substantial. Oatmeal raisin? Chocolate chip? Something with nuts? In the end, I decided on these - a little oatmeal chocolate chip goodness. Wholesome and yet a touch decadent. Not too sweet, with a delightful interplay of cinnamon and chocolate. And just perfect with a cup of tea on a wintry New England day. Yum.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
yields about 24 cookies

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, mixing well after each addition.

Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt (you can sift these together, if you like) and mix well. Add in oatmeal, choco chips and walnuts (if using) and mix until just incorporated.

Drop by the heaping teaspoonful onto baking sheets and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for a minute on baking sheets before transferring to baking racks to cool completely. Enjoy!

- e

raisin pecan oatmeal cookies

A very dear friend of mine is going through a rough spot, and despite being the pickiest eater I have ever encountered, he loves desserts. Especially cookies. So, because I love baking, and because what nourishes the body nourishes the soul, I decided to make him cookies last night. I flipped through a few new cookbooks, and came upon this one in the newest Barefoot Contessa book, a classic with a twist. I also need to take a moment to mention how much I love the Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten). I love her show. I love the melodiously soothing tone of her voice. And I love love love her kitchen. Basically, I want to be her new best friend, and be invited over for dinner every weekend.

Now that I have expressed my super-fanatacism, I must say these cookies are DELICIOUS! They are both chewy and crunchy and bake beautifully. For most of my life, I harbored an intense dislike of raisins, and only in the past few years have I come to terms with them. I still cannot eat them straight out of the box, but enjoy them in things, like these cookies. So if you have a friend who needs some comforting, or need a little yourself, these are just perfect!



Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
from The Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

makes 30 to 35 cookies

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (I used light brown sugar)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix until just combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon), drop 2 inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper (ed. note: the parchment is not necessary, but makes clean up easier). Flatten dough mounds slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

*before baking, I sprinkled the cookies with granulated sugar for a little extra crunch!

e