Mama's Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies (Recipe)

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved

What happens when you crave something sweet at night, but don't have the ingredients for your usual treats? Tonight I glanced in the cupboard to see what I could bake with what I had on hand. I had cookie-making ingredients, but was missing some of my usual add-ins. Then I realized I did have oats. "Hmm, what if I put these dried cranberries in there too?" I threw it all together and came up with a great cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe. There aren't any left, so apparently, the eight people in the house approve.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Earth Balance Original buttery spread (vegan, non-gmo)
  
• 1 cup non-gmo brown sugar (packed)
  
• 1 cup non-gmo granulated sugar
  
• 2 egg-equivalents, using Ener-G Egg Replacer
  
• 1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
  
• 1tsp pure organic almond extract
  
• 1 tsp organic baking soda
  
• 2 cups organic flour
  
• 2 cups organic old fashioned oats
  
• 1 cup dried organic cranberries (unsweetened)
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Many cookie recipes call for creaming the butter (or spread) and sugar first, but I'm very non-traditional. I'm also a risk-taker. So, sometimes my baking is a little haphazard, but it always comes out good. Just ask my live-in taste testers (aka my kids). If they'll eat it without a complaint, it's good.

I just throw everything in the mixing bowl in whatever order I feel like at the time. Stir it all together until it's blended well. The consistency should be soft and easy to create a ball with. If it's too sticky, add a little bit of flour until you can work with it better.

Now, take your cranberry oatmeal cookie dough and create small 4 inch balls and place them on the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Cook for about 15 minutes or until brown. I usually prefer my cookies soft. If you'd like more firmness in your cranberry oatmeal cookies, just cook them a touch longer. Once the cookies are done, let them cool on a plate or cooking rack and serve.

Yield: About 3 dozen cranberry oatmeal cookies

For different taste variations, add some cinnamon, nutmeg, or both. Note that my recipes are made in a high altitude environment, so no altering for that will be necessary.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network