I've been trying out some ideas for this years Christmas treats and came
across a terrific combination: cranberry, white chocolate and oatmeal. I
took my most favorite oatmeal cookie recipe,
swapped out the raisins and nuts for dried cranberries and white
chocolate and turned the cookies into bars! The cranberries add a nice
sweet-tart flavor and a pretty red color while the white chocolate adds a
creamy sweetness that works well with the oatmeal texture.
Because
these are bars instead of cookies they take less time to make and you
have the option of cutting them into any size you prefer. I cut mine
into sixteen medium sized bars that I individually wrapped in parchment
paper but I think they would also be equally as nice cut into little
bite-sized squares set out at a dessert buffet. Either way you slice
them, these bars are a great addition to any cookie bakers repertoire.
Here is how you can make your own.
You can find the
basic recipe here.
Line a 9" x 9" baking pan with aluminum foil (leave an inch over-hang
of foil) and spray with Pam. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I
used 1 cup dried cranberries instead of raisins and 1 cup white
chocolate chips instead of nuts. Make sure to use quick-cooking oats for
this recipe.
In a medium bowl whisk together
the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the
butter, shortening, sugars and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time
until fully incorporated.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg
mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the quick-cooking oats, dried
cranberries (1 cup) and white chocolate chips (1 cup). Mix until
incorporated.
Press the dough evenly into the
prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let bars
cool in pan for 15-20 minutes then lift out of pan using the aluminum
foil and let cool completely before cutting.
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