Allspice Oatmeal Cookies

Friends.... I am feeling a wee bit inflicted this past week.

There seems to be so much going on.

Tsunamis. Tornados in Alabama. Osama bin Laden dying. Friends betraying friends. New job offers. Crossroads in life...

And me getting a car.

Which isn't exactly inflicting to ME...moreso to the people who will be driving with me on the road.

I can just hear it now...

"Hey GRANDMA. GET OFF THE FREAKIN' ROAD. I have to be at work in 5 MINUTES. You're doing 20 IN A FAST LANE."

Yes... that's right. I'm a grandma driver. I do the speed limit. I check three times before I cross the street. You might as well throw a walker at me and call it a day, I'd probably get to work faster that way than driving.

But at least I have transportation!

Now I just need money.


In fact, having no money is kind of what brought me to this recipe to begin with. These cookies are very easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients sitting in the back of your cabinet somewhere collecting dust because that one reason you bought them you forgot to use them for and now it's too late because you already used the other ingredients and you're too lazy to go to the store and get them.

Yeah, that's right. I know your dirty kitchen secrets. Its okay. Mine are probably the same. If you must know, I bought the raisins and dried cherries in this for a chicken salad ( that I never made ) and the oats for breakfast (which I also never made due to my incompetence in making oatmeal).

So when I got the urge to make cookies, I immediately thought Oatmeal. Then I thought to use both the raisins and dried cherries and use them up (I didn't have enough in each packet to just use one flavor). And while I began to make the sweet doughy concoction, it occurred to me that while looking through my spice cabinet that I had no cinnamon whatsoever.

Then, I dropped dead of shock. Because this NEVER. HAPPENS.

I always have cinnamon around. Cinnamon is my mistress. My other lover. The boy next door. It's my favorite spice of all time. When I didn't see any in the cabinet I just about freaked out. Then I stuck my finger in the cookie dough and ate off a spoonfuls worth. Then I felt better.

I tried looking for the closest possible spice. Nutmeg? Oh god, no. Ever since that one time I tried to make Alfredo sauce by scratch and threw like 2 tablespoons of nutmeg in the sauce, nutmeg and I have never seen eye to eye. Cloves? WAY too strong and dark. Ginger? I just had a feeling that wouldn't bear well with the raisins and dried cherries. So, almost at the end of my rope, I kept looking until at the very back of the cabinet I saw my savior:

Allspice.

Allspice doesn't get much attention, but it should. It's a great substitute for cinnamon, since it basically carries all the spices in (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc) without being too overpowering. In fact, when I made this cookies I thought it tasted BETTER than cinnamon did. It just gave them this different, spicy edge to it that complimented the dried fruit PERFECTLY. I'm actually really excited about it, too, because who knows what else it's good with? dried apricots, maybe? allspice chocolate chip cookies? we shall see.

In the meantime though, if you're in a cookie crunch and you don't have all the ingredients you wish you did... make these. I'm sure if you don't have allspice you can sub out cinnamon, but it won't taste the same. This recipe is a good base recipe for any additions, really, so just use your imagination.

You may come up with one of your favorite cookies ever.

Allspice Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins and Dried Cherries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup each raisins and dried cherries or other dried fruit of choice
1 3/4 cup rolled or quick cooking oats (not instant!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a cookie sheet pan.

2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla on low setting until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, allspice, and baking soda. Add into butter mixture and mix until there are no traces of flour left.

4. Fold in dried fruit and oats by hand with a spatula.

5. Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (I made mine a bit bigger) about 2 inches away from eachother on the pan in case they spread (mine didn't). Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are done around the edges but still a little raw in the middle. Cool on pan for 2 minutes then move onto wire wrack to cool completely. Devour immediately.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.

Cranberry White Choco Chip Oatmeal Bites

First, please forgive me for the offset color coordination of these photos. My camera... it defeats me sometimes, and adds weird reflections of other colored objects to my cookies when picture taking time comes around. It's not a very cooperative camera. But that's okay. It knows if it ticks me off too much it'll sit in its little dark corner in my drawer until it learns its lesson. Or until I have to use it again.

I'll admit it's usually the later. But whatever. It doesn't need to know that.

I've got this recent obsession with small little bite-sized cookies... which is awfully weird because I've been craving the opposite. But I just can't help but love how easy they come together and can be packaged and sent off as gifts or other. These little oatmeal bites are exactly what I'm talking about. They get their softness from the 1/4 cup of yogurt that replaces 1/4 cup of butter in the original recipe, a lightness from whisking an egg white in replace of a whole egg, a chewyness from the oatmeal bits and craisins and a slight crunch from the white chocolate chips that heavily stud every piece like little yummy jewels.



I just love it. I really do. And look how festive they are. Come on. The only dangerous thing about these cookies is the fact that anything easily popped inside the mouth will be gone in about... 10 seconds? Okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... 15 seconds.

If you're looking for an easy way to whip up some easy package cookies that will stay moist and satisfy the sweet tooth in your life, then make these. Not only are they incredibly seasonal, but come on... Cuteness factor is out the door here. Don't deny it.



Cranberry and White Choco Chip Oatmeal Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter, softened
scant 1/4 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (*See footnote)
1 large egg
1 large egg white, briefly whisked
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal, quick-cooking or rolled (I used quick cooking since its what I had on hand)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6oz package sweetened dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips (or 4oz, chopped)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter, yogurt and sugars* together. Mixture should not look light and fluffy but will be a little more on the liquidy looking side. That's okay. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.

2. Combine oats, flour, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition (don't skip this step!)

3. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate. Dough should be sticky. If dough seems too wet, mix in another 1/4 cup of flour.

4. Divide dough into 2 separate balls and cover them in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

5. Preheat your oven to 375

6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and slightly set on top. Remove from sheets and cool on wire wrack. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

*Footnote: These are a little on the sweet side, so if you want you can probably only use 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in replace of the 1/4 cup, or just forget the sugar entirely. The only reason why I added 1/4 cup of sugar was to cut the tartness of the plain nonfat yogurt which has a slight tang to it that I was scared wouldn't balance out with the brown sugar. So if you want, just cut the 1/4 cup out or just use a tablespoon if you're paranoid.

Back there and again.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates. Really, I am. But this time, I have a good excuse. I promise.

Usually, when I don't update my blog, it's due to:

1) Being too busy doing other things (or my subtle way of saying I was too lazy).

2) I didn't take pictures of what I've been making

3) I didn't like the pictures of what I made

4) What I made got eaten before I could go to my room to get my camera.

In all truth though, the first one is the most common. I know. Not cool, Alex.

This time though, I have a good excuse. A really good one. Y'see, while you all were w

aiting for me to update with some more seasonal goodies, I was busy in New Orleans eating my pants size worth of these:

If you don't know what these are, then... Oh, God. I'm so, so sorry. Seriously. I fantasize about these. I fantasize about waking up to a warm plate full of these with a big cup of steamin' hot coffee every day. I fantasize about all that powdered sugar going everywhere everytime I even move or breathe wrong (quick personal note: never laugh when eating a Beignet. Ever. As it will result in a death-consuming cloud of powdered sugar smoke.)

I was kind of hesitant to try one. After all, Beignets are basically deep-fried dough. But they were so light and the edges -- Oh god, they were my favorite part. So crisp and chewy. Honestly, if I lived in New Orleans... Cafe' Du Monde would never go out of business. Truth.

But anywho.

While I could use the whole "I was in New Orleans eating Beignets! You have to believe me!" excuse as to why I haven't updated, I'll give you a real one, which is: ... I had no baking equipment. At all. Yeah, tell me about it. Unfortunately I'm not quite sure how security check out would deal with me bringing a deadly mixer on board of the plane -- and I don't think my luggage could carry a 20lbs bag of flour and sugar. So I had to leave my baking behind for a week or two. And I have to say this: I did miss it. But that's okay. We're back on track now and kicking off the ride with a cookie I think you'll find good enough to forgive me for.

These little oatmeal cookie delights are filled with a cool autumn combo of diced apples and butterscotch chips. When they come out of the oven, they can get pretty crispy -- but if you leave them out for awhile, they become incredibly moist and cakey. So if you like your oatmeal cookies crispy, you should definitely make and eat these the day they are made. If you like 'em cakey, then just make 'em, and let them sit out on the counter uncovered overnight. Or, better yet, store 'em in the refrigerator in a air-tight container. These taste really good served cold. But i'll let you be the judge of that.

The apples and butterscotch really shine here, with some help from a dash of cinnamon and some pumpkin pie spice. Not only that, but I replaced 1/4 cup of the butter in the original recipe with some applesauce, keeping these nice and moist and bringing out a more natural sweetness that helps the apple flavor a lot.

I think you'll like 'em. Hell, I know I did, and I'm not a big oatmeal cookie fan. These could probably do with some chopped walnuts thrown in, if you like your cookies a little on the nutty side. Pecans or almonds probably wouldn't contrast as well with the apples/butterscotch chips, though.

Happy eatin' foodies! And look for updates. I promise I won't run off on you for some donuts again.

Well. Maybe.

Butterscotch and Apple Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP and 1/2 cup whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup finely chopped apples (about 1 big apple, 2 medium ones and 3-4 small ones)

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking or regular oats, uncooked

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Cream the butter; add the brown sugar and applesauce and beat until light, fluffy and there are no brown sugar chunks.

2. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until well combined.

4. Gently stir in apples, oats, and butterscotch chips.

5. Drop dough by heaping teaspoon or tablespoon fulls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or just grease it with nonstick cooking spray). Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies depending on size. Store in air-tight container in fridge or leave at room temperature uncovered.

Accidental Oatmeal Cookie Brownie Bars.

Don't you love it when things barely work themselves out at the last moment?

I have this thing. This problem, you see. No matter what i'm baking, or how many times i've foolproofed a recipe, I always, ALWAYS, mess something up. Whether it be in missing the vanilla... putting too much flour... oh, or that time where I forgot to melt chocolate (FOR BROWNIES) because I was too busy thinking about what shoes to wear. Yeah. Something ALWAYS happens.

This time was no different. I went out on a mission to make Eating Well's brownies. Their suppose to be 86cal a pop and I really haven't made brownies for awhile, so I thought hey -- why not! They'll be brownies but a little more healthier. And chocolate is a must in my life. Must must must.

Well turns out that something, somewhere in that recipe went horrrrrrribly wrong and somehow my batter came out so entirely thin that instead of giving me brownies when I poured them into the pan, they gave me more of a brownie BASE than anything else. It was soooo thin. I refused to believe that I was gonna get brownies out of batter that thin. I almost thought I had a poured it into too big of a pan but nope -- 8x8 is what it called for. So 8x8 is what I used.

I'm not really sure how I got the result that I did, but thankfully, I had a back-up plan.

The quaker-oatmeal-cookie to the resue plan.

I just happened to have half a batch of oatmeal cookies in the freezer in case of emergencies... like cookie cravings. But! I got an idea and decided to try it. Anything to save these brownies. I really didn't want to waste all that chocolate, and ingredients. And chocolate.

So I took out my oatmeal cookie dough that USED to have chocolate chips in the batter (<_< Wonder who ate those...), went ahead and crumbled (yes, crumbled) the dough to form little clusters, or balls, and sprinkled them over the brownies until they were entirely covered. Then I popped them into the oven and prayed for the best.



Result?
Really good freakin' oatmeal cookie brownies.

The base was perfect for the cookie dough and everything baked evenly. Total "YES *FISTPUMP* moment for me the second they came out of the oven and cooled. The top got a littttttttle overbaked, but overall it was a very yummy, chewy brownie cookie bar...thing.

So if you happen to have cookie dough sitting in your fridge, but you wanna make something a little bit different -- go for the brownie base. Or, you can just TRY and make the original recipe work... But what fun is baking when something doesn't go right? ;)

(P.S.: These are best dunked in milk. With a bigger glass full than that one.)

Oatmeal Cookie Brownie Bars
Combination of Eating Well and Quakers recipes

Brownie Base Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, American-style or Dutch-process
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (50-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
2 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chopped into mini chip-size pieces, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup, blended with 3 tablespoons lukewarm water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional

Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients:
(Note: you will only need to use half of the cookie dough batter for this)

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts (optional)

Directions:
1. Make your oatmeal cookie dough first! since we have to let the dough sit in the freezer for a bit.

2. To make oatmeal cookie layer, In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

3. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.

4. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (if using); mix well.

5. Divide dough into two large balls. Wrap in non-stick foil or food wrap, and stick in freezer. Let sit while you make the brownie layer.

6. To make the brownie layer, first, position your oven wrack in the middle and preheat your oven to 350. Line a 8x8 baking pan with foil, letting the foil hang off the edges (this way you can just lift them out of the pan without cutting them out and ruining them) remember to spray your foil with non-stick cooking spray like PAM so it doesn't stick.

7. Sift (or whisk) flour, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa together into a small bowl.

8. Combine the 3 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate and oil in a large, microwave safe bowl. Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds or so, until chocolate is smooth and velvetty. DO NOT MICROWAVE FOR TOO LONG. Just until melted.

8. Remove from the microwave and stir in granulated sugar, corn syrup mixture, vanilla and salt until the sugar dissolves.

9. Vigorously stir in egg until smoothly incorporated.

10. Gently stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts (if using) and the remaining 2 1/2 ounces chopped chocolate just until well blended.

11. Turn out the batter into the pan, spreading evenly.

12. Get out one frozen portion of your cookie dough, unwrap, and start using your fingers to form small portions of the cookie dough into teaspoon/tablespoon sized little balls. Sprinkle evenly over brownie layer until you can only see a few bits of brownie through the dough.

13. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool for an hour or so. To remove from pan, take both side of foil and lift up out of the pan, and rest on a cooling wrack until completely cooled and ready to cut.

14. Cut brownies into small bars. Should yield about 20 bars from the pan.