Baking with Basil

Aka….Cookie Failure!!  Do you guys remember my cookie failure rant from a few weeks ago??  Well I wish I was here to tell you that I conquered the thick, chewy oatmeal cookie that I had been longing for.  Unfortunately, I’ve tried 3 times since then and it’s still flat.  After my last attempt, I stomped around the kitchen, tossing my oven mitts, huffing and puffing about being defeated by a fricken’ cookie!  I was ticked!

After staring at rows of cookies that I deemed a failure, there was one thing that stayed constant this whole time.  The taste was sooo good!!  Too good, in fact, to be tossed to the wayside.  I “taste tested” 4 of them just to make sure.  Besides, who am I to judge this cookie just because it’s flatter than I was hoping.  Maybe you like a flat cookie and this is just what you are looking for.  This cookie is chewy, sweet, and piled high with all the flavors of the holiday season.  Just to recap:  we have a soft and chewy cookie with wonderful holiday flavor!  Yup…..no failure here!

One more week til Christmas!!  :)  How is everyone’s holiday baking and shopping coming along?

(Printable Recipe)

Apple Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Recipe adapted from Sophistimom

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp  ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 small apple, shredded and water drained (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup Heath bits
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla, beat until well incorporated.

3.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add in flour mixture.  Mix just until combined.  Add oatmeal, apple, heath bits, and cranberries and stir by hand until combined.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4.  (When ready to bake) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a medium scoop, place tablespoon size dough onto cookie sheets.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes:

• I tried the apples small diced, medium diced, and shredded and found that the shredded produced the best cookie.  
• Watch your baking time.  Mine took about 12 minutes, sometimes  a little less.  Be sure to remove cookies when edges start to turn golden brown.