::Recipe::

I discovered this recipe one day when I was randomly thumbing through my recipes and for some reason, it stood out a little. I'd had it for a while, but hadn't even attempted to try it before. McKayla LOVES these, as does everyone else that has ever tasted them. I frequently make them as the treat I bring for work parties & treat days. They are actually pretty healthy compared to most cookies and almost taste more like a granola bar. They are SO simple to make, when I was in a hurry, I literally measured things out, and just dumped them into the bowl of my stand mixer, scooped them onto sheet pans and baked them. It's hard to screw this one up, which is great for those of us that don't always have a lot of time. I haven't ever taken pictures while making them since they take honestly less than 10 minutes to throw together. I tried to put all my "hints" in pink, to make them stand out more. I also find that doubling this recipe makes the measuring a little easier, but whatever works for you!

::Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies::

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 6-oz pkg sweetened, dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:
»Preheat oven to 375°F
»Using an electric mixer, beat butter/margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions (mine usually ends up being about 3 additions-trust me, it's okay to just throw it all in), mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened, dried cranberries and white chocolate.
»Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (I am a HUGE fan of cookie scoops, they're great - each cookie is basically the same size!) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes (I usually put the first batch in and check them at 9 minutes or so, once I'm sure about the time, I set my kitchen timer to that time and each batch comes out perfect) or until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

»Makes approx. 2 1/2 dozen cookies«

Special Hint:: As I mentioned, I love cookie scoops. If you have the counter room, (I use a large cutting board) spread out parchment paper (cut to pan size) or just some wax paper if you prefer. When I'm in a hurry, I put the first batch in the oven and while it's baking, I start scooping the dough out onto the paper. If you use parchment paper, you can scoop enough to fit the sheet pan (mine holds 12 since I use a 1 1/2" scoop) and just slide them onto the pans and right back off onto the cooling rack and there's less clean up. Using the paper trick is also great when you're making a cookie like snickerdoodles that have to be rolled into balls and then dipped. You can scoop them all at once, roll them just a little (since the scoop makes them pretty round) and just dip. Hazzah! you're own assembly line! It's great when kids want to help, but you're worried about their "measuring" abilities with spoons.