Saturday, February 7, 2009

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES






Get ready for a really, really good cookie! This one is very crispy on the outside with a wonderfully tender, slightly crunchy interior. A subtle orange flavor with a hint of cinnamon perfectly complements the creamy white chocolate chips and tangy dried cranberries. These are a little piece of heaven.
A word about white chocolate chips: Please read the package labels before you buy. If you see "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" anywhere in the list of ingredients, put the package back and find one that doesn't contain those words. Look for pure cocoa butter in the list of ingredients. Wal-Mart used to have Sam's Choice White Chocolate Chips, which contained pure cocoa butter. They were Wal-Mart's best kept secret and I bought them for years, reveling in the creamy rich cocoa flavor of their chips. But to my dismay, they discontinued them recently and I'm left to search for alternatives now. I bought Ghiradelli last time, and while they're not as good as the Sam's Choice, they're vastly superior to Nestle. I would do without white chocolate if Nestle were the only supplier left on the planet.
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from RecipeGirl.com
Rating: 10 out of 10
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
1/2 cup quick (not instant) oats
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup toasted broken walnuts
5 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 blend
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, zest and oats; stir in chips, berries and walnuts; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat SB and sugars till smooth. (I do this by hand, because I've found that my cookies are much better when I make them by hand. They never collapse in the center; they're always fat and puffy, and the texture is better. I believe this is because hand beating doesn't overheat the dough.)
Beat in egg, vanilla, & orange extract. Stir in dry ingredients.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2" apart. Bake until edges are light brown, 11-13 min. (Mine took 12 min., and I put a toothpick in the centers to check for doneness.) Cool in pan 2-3 min., then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 11 cookies
NOTE: If you want a bigger batch, just double the ingredients. These cookies will not spread much; they'll stay high and puffy and look like little miniature scones.

14 comments:

Lyndas recipe box said...

I think that Oatmeal cookies are my favorite cookies. These looks so good with the white chocolate and the cranberries!I also miss the Sam's Choice brand.

Sara said...

These look great! I tend to buy my white chocolate chips at Trader Joe's, not sure if they have those stores by you.

Femin Susan said...

hi
my tongue is watering seeing the yummy food stuff here.

Donna-FFW said...

Thank you for the tips on white chocolate, I will have to keep that in mind next time I bake with them. These look wonderful. I love cookies with oatmeal!

RecipeGirl said...

Glad you found these and enjoyed them!

Elyse said...

Judy, your recipes have the amazing ability to inspire in me the most intense cravings. I need these cookies now! They look absolutely divine. I'm already on a white chocolate kick, and I can't wait to add cranberry to the mix.

Judy said...

Sara - No, we're not near a Trader Joe's, but I wish we were.

Marge said...

I'm so glad to see a healthy cookie recipe! Thanks so much - these look wonderful and I'll be baking them soon.

test it comm said...

Those cookies look good! I like to add pistachios to the white chocolate and cranberry combo in cookies.

Judy said...

Gary - Thanks for the shout out.
Marge - Let me know how they turn out for you.
Kevin - Great idea to add pistachios. I'll try that next time.

Katrina said...

Yum! I'll have to try these!

Marge said...

I baked these last night & shared them with a friend today. They are wonderful!

Marge said...

I baked these last night & shared them with a friend today. They are wonderful!

Judy said...

Marge - thanks for the feedback. I ate all mine, didn't even share them, and now I want to make more.