There are a few ways to guarantee I’ll make a recipe:
1. Give it a creative name that piques my interest.
2. Show me a pretty picture of the dish. (I’m a visual person. You can’t convince me a dish tastes good if it ain’t pretty.)
3. Nag me about it so much that I’ll make it just so you’ll stop.
I’ve always been intrigued with recipe names so #1 is exactly why I’m munching on a Cowboy Cookie as I sit here and write. (#1 is also the reason I’m going to have to grab the keyboard air can and clean my laptop in a few minutes.) But “cowboy cookies?”
Two different pictures come to mind when I hear “cowboy:”
– Dust, jeans, boots, horse, truck, and a hat.
– A mediocre football team from that city up north. America’s team? Please.
Given the fact that there isn’t a ground-up Stetson or a Silverado emblem in the dough and the recipe doesn’t call for a teaspoon of Tony Romo’s post-interception tears, I don’t really know what makes a cookie a “Cowboy cookie.”
I saw a reference to “souped-up oatmeal cookie” and you won’t see me take the cookie out of my mouth long enough to argue with that. Think Chocolate Chip Cookie marries Oatmeal Cookie… and then the oatmeal cookie tries to change the CCC by secretly getting rid of his chocolate chips in a garage sale and replacing them with cranberries. Or… something like that.
Point is, these aren’t quite “normal” cookies and aren’t quite your standard oatmeal cookie. But they are darn good. I’m hoping the recipients agree, though I wouldn’t have my feelings hurt if they said “No thanks,” and handed them straight back to me. Just in case that doesn’t happen, I’m gonna stash a dozen back for us. After all, oatmeal is the ultimate healthy breakfast food 🙂
Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate
Chewy cookies loaded with oats, dried fruit, and white chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 rounded cup dried cranberries
- 8 oz white chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
- Cream butter, oil, and sugars until smooth on med-high speed. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Add in oats, dried cranberries, and white chocolate, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Scoop dough onto lined baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers are set. Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Yields: ~3 1/2 dozen cookies
Estimated time: 45 minutes