Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

I made these last week after my seven year old came home telling me how good the cookies were at school.  I just could not be upstaged by the school cafeteria.

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teasponns cinnamon

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

3/4 cup dried cranberries (I chop them a bit but that's optional)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter with sugars.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir into the creamed mixture.  Add oatmeal, cranberries, and walnuts.  At this point I scoop out cookies onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.  I use a 1 1/3 oz. scoop.  Use the palm of your hand and lightly press to form more of a disk than a ball, this will help them cook more evenly.  Place pans of cookie dough into the fridge for 30-45 minutes.  Bake on 375 degrees for aproximately 10 minutes.  

My boys wanted plain oatmeal so half of this pan I scooped before adding the cranberries and walnuts.

This is a great base recipe you could add raisins, chocolate chips, or anything you like.

This is what they look like after I press them with my hand.

* A couple of cookie hints:  Last Christmas I sold 70 dozen cookies and learned a lot about what makes cookies great.  

-Bake until you look at the top of the cookie and it doesn't look wet, if you wait for them to turn brown they are overdone.  Well I guess if you like a dryer cookie that works but my customers liked a moist cookie.  You will think they are under cooked but trust me when they cool you will see.

- Always use parchment paper.

-Allow them to cool completely on the pan you baked them on.  This distributes the moisture back into the cookie leaving them perfectly moist.

The result.... 2 happy boys but only one willing to take a picture.