Thursday, July 19, 2012

OATMEAL-CRANBERRY-GINGER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

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This cookie is a variation of one previously made that I liked a lot for its flavors, ultra-crispy edges and great interior texture.  But this time I used old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats and dark chocolate instead of white.  My favorite crystallized ginger, made by The Ginger People, 028
and a dark chocolate ChocoLove bar with more crystallized ginger were added for some punch.  026

Instead of a fat, crispy-edged cookie, I got a flatter, soft cookie with chewy interior.  The cookies were just a tad too chewy for me -- and I prefer crispy edges -- but others loved them and commented on the “coconut” inside.  As with the original version, the flavors were complex and layered with chocolate, ginger, cranberries, pecans and a hint of orange.

So, you have a choice – if you use quick oats, you’ll get a fat, crispy-edged cookie.  If you use old-fashioned oats, you’ll get a soft-edged, chewy cookie.  Have it your way.  (And, P. S., if all you have on hand is old-fashioned oats but you want the crispy edges, just give the oats a quick whirl in your food processor.)

Oatmeal-Cranberry-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Rating:  9.5 out of 10

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INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. Diamond kosher salt, or table salt
1 cup oats (use old-fashioned for soft chewy cookies; quick oats for crispy puffy cookies)
10 Tbsp. (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 2 Tbsp. NuNaturals Stevia) 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I used my homemade vanilla extract)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (I used ChocoLove 3.5 oz. Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate bar, 65% cacao) 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries 
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350F.  Line baking sheets with parchment.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oats.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and zest on low speed of electric mixer until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla till combined.  Add flour/oat mixture and blend just till incorporated.  Finally, stir in remaining ingredients.  Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart if using old-fashioned oats, 1 inch apart if using quick oats.  Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, till edges are light brown, about 11-13 minutes.  Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Yield:  about 20 cookies

4 comments:

Diane said...

Now they sound just the sort of thing I would eat the whole lot because they are so yummy and then regret it afterwards :) Diane

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Thank you for the explanation of using the different kinds of oats. And whirling them would work wouldn't it. What a clever idea.
Sam

Coleens Recipes said...

Our middle adult son loves all oatmeal cookies, but I never thought of the cranberry ginger combo...he'll love it, thank you.

Casey said...

These sound scrumptious and look even better. Cranberry is one of my favorite flavors. It sparks up anyting.