Do you ever have one of those moments when you really, really want a chocolate chip cookie?
As in, drop everything immediately and pull out the mixing bowl? Or is it just me?
Well, I had one of those moments the other day. So I started getting the ingredients out of the cabinet, only to discover that I didn’t have any chocolate chips.
This was not good.
But fortunately, chocolate comes in other forms. I decided to make do with what I had rather than run out to the store for chocolate chips. I adapted this cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe by replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder. The results were super delicious, maybe even better than the original.
I love when a kitchen roadblock leads to a great discovery. Recipes are simply guides, and it’s important to experiment and have some fun. You don’t really know how to cook until you learn how to wing it in the kitchen.
These chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies are a fantastic treat. They’ll be gobbled up very quickly, so you may want to double the recipe. This batch yields 2 dozen cookies.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Stir together the flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix over medium speed for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar is evenly incorporated into the butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
Add the dry mixture and mix until incorporated. Stir in the dried cranberries. The dough will be thick.
Place the cookie dough by tablespoon onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until just set.
Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze them for a few months.
Note: If you do have chocolate chips on hand, by all means, add ½ cup of them to the batter along with the dried cranberries. And if you want to make these cookies dairy-free, substitute melted coconut oil for the butter. They taste great either way.
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