Chewy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

I love finding new ways to make a delicious recipe even more scrumptious. I'm always up for the challenge of taking a "perfect" recipe and kicking it up a notch, as Emeril would say. One recent example of my mad scientist experiments is with the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie. I am a huge sucker for oatmeal raisin cookies. A lot of people turn their heads at the chewy, hearty, sweet cookies, but I'm the girl grabbing my share and everyone else's. You don't like oatmeal raisin cookies? Great, more for me!

Even though I've made some pretty darn good oatmeal raisin cookies before, I felt the need to switch things up a bit. Using a tried and true recipe, I simply substituted craisins for the raisins. And I think I might like the new cookies even better than the originals! Craisins are a lot like raisins, but give a little extra oomph all thanks to the consolidated flavors of the dried tart cranberries. The bright red color also gives these cookies a wonderful makeover in the appearance department.

And don't you worry; these cookies are some of the thickest, chewiest oatmeal craisin cookies you'll ever taste. No thin, crunchy, bland cookies here. The key in making these cookies so thick and chewy is using bread flour. You can substitute all-purpose flour, but the results won't be the same. I highly recommend making these with bread flour--it's definitely worth purchasing bread flour just for this recipe! After all, you will surely be making these time and time again, so that bread flour will get used up in no time.

Now get to town and do some experimentation in your own kitchen. Maybe add raisins and craisins? Maybe a few chopped up nuts too? Orrr yogurt covered raisins?! Go crazy; and let me know how your's turn out!

Chewy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies (adapted from Averie Cooks)
(16 cookies)

1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp bread flour*
1 cup craisins

Add the egg, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat ingredients on high speed until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and mix into batter until fully incorporated. Slowly add the bread flour to the mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the craisins. Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Scoop large balls of dough (about 2 Tbsp of dough), roll into a ball, and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to brown. The cookies will appear underdone, but will harden as they cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes; remove the cookie to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.

*Bread flour is what makes these cookies extra chewy. You can use all-purpose flour instead, but the results will vary.

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Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 16

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 185.8

Total Fat: 6.8 g

Cholesterol: 27.2 mg

Sodium: 47.4 mg

Total Carbs: 35.1 g

Fiber: 1.4 g

Sugars: 23.5 g

Protein: 2.3 g

Pros:

-Simple list of ingredients
-Easy and quick to make the cookie dough
-Only makes 16 cookies (recipe can easily be doubled to make more)
-Versatile-add nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, yogurt covered raisins, dried fruit, or other mix-ins
-Cookies keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container

Cons:

-Having to refrigerate the dough requires planning ahead