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.