Today it was mostly cloudy here in San Diego, which made me think it would be the perfect day to make oatmeal cookies. I wanted to make an oatmeal cookie that had added dried fruit and nuts of some sort, with just a bit of sweetness added in. What I ended up adding for the dried fruit was golden raisins, dried cherries and dried cranberries. As far as the nuts were concerned, I went with sunflower seeds. For sweetness, a small amount of white chocolate chips were added. And of course, a dash of love from me – me, who’s ever so sweet.

(Just a little side note on the vanilla I chose to use. My cousin, Molly – the best baker ever, she’s amazing – introduced me to vanilla paste. It is a bit thicker, and therefore, more flavorful (in my opinion) than vanilla extract. She showed it to me at Home Goods and also at Williams-Sonoma. If you can get your hands on a bottle, I really recommend it. If not, regular vanilla will work.)

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups Crisco Butter Flavored Baking Sticks

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla (I used vanilla paste, which you can find at Williams-Sonoma. I also am able to find it at Home Goods)

• 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 cups old fashioned oats

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

• 1/2 cup dried cherries

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat Crisco baking sticks and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and add to wet mixture, mixing well.

4. Add oats, mix.

5. Add dried fruit, sunflower seeds, white chocolate chips and mix.

6. Using a small cookie scoop or a couple of large tablespoons, drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 11-12 minutes for crispy cookies (my personal favorite) or 8-10 minutes for a softer cookie. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris