Wow!  It’s been way too long since I put up a recipe.  It just seemed that what I was making wasn’t good enough or I forgot to take pictures…blah blah blah.  I kind of lost my zeal for cooking?  Too much on my plate for a while (and it didn’t taste good 😉

Well fear not!  (Not that you were really afraid, but I should have been.)  I have found an old friend to set me straight…. Oatmeal!  For me, there is nothing better than a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie.  Chocolate not required. (say it isn’t so!)

This oatmeal cookie has friends too.  Dried cranberries, walnuts and flaked coconut join the party along with coconut sugar and a bit of orange extract. It makes for a fabulous combination.  Despite their sturdy appearance, these cookies are tender and will melt in your mouth. Mine is very happy and so will yours if you give these a try!

You’ll need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at almost room temp

2 Tbs of oil (neutral flavor)

1 cup coconut sugar (you can use regular sugar but the coconut flavor will be lessened)

1 large egg

1/3 cup yogurt (fat content of your choice)

2 tsp orange extract

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (almonds and pecans also work well)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup AP flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, combine dried cranberries, nuts, coconut, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, oats, and both flours.  Set aside

Using the large bowl for your mixer, cream the butter, oil and coconut sugar.  Add the yogurt and egg and continue to mix until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the oats mixture and let the it mix until well combined.  Let the mix rest for about 10 minutes (lets the oats soften slightly).

By placing your cookies on the diagonal instead of straight rows you can get 15 cookies per sheet instead of just 12!  Speeds up the whole process!  See below.  Works great for cookies that don’t spread much.

Use a tablespoon size cookie scoop to place cookies on parchment paper or silicon sheet baking  pans.  Press the scoops down slightly to make the cookie about 1/2 inch thick.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack.  Try not to eat all of them the same day.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  Thanks to all of you who kept coming back to my sight whether I had posted anything new.  I will do my best to keep you supplied with great tasting recipes that are easy and quick to prepare!