Yummy Cookies!

I found a great Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe online and made it for some friends who were hiking the AT last year. After trying the cookies I decided I could make them even yummier by adding cranberries and pecans. These cookies are soooo good! Note that the dough keeps really well in the fridge for about a week.

I decided to post this recipe because I am making some to thank Darcy for teaching me how to spin and sending some to my friend Kerry because these are healing cookies, which she needs right now. They don't contain any pharmaceuticals, but they definitely make me feel better and with all of the oats and cranberries, they are almost healthy.

The Following is for a double recipe (makes about 60 cookies depending on how big you make them and how much of the dough you nibble):

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon BAKING POWDER
16 ounces (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups LIGHT BROWN SUGAR, packed (can substitute sucanat)
1 and 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
6 cups OATS
3 cups chocolate chips
(1 and 1/2 packages of Ghiradelli Bittersweet 60% cocoa or any high quality dark chocolate chips )
2 scant cups of dried cranberries (depending on preference)
2 scant cups of chopped pecans

Directions
1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees, and line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, by hand or by mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat the mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Combine/Stir dry ingredients and butter-sugar mixture together with a wooden spoon or a large rubber spatula in a large mixing bowl.

5. Stir in oats and chocolate chips and pecans and cranberries. Mix will get harder and harder to stir as each of these is added but it will work.

6. Place dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets in chunky balls about golf ball size, leaving at least 2 inches between.

7. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Slide cookies (on parchment) onto cooling rack. Let cool, and store in airtight container.

A tip from the original internet recipe: Place a piece of bread (any type) in with the cookies to prevent them from becoming stale. If they hang around long enough, that is!