Walnut-Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries

Walnut-Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries

This is the break and bake recipe we made summer 2008 using blueberries instead of cranberries. Divided into 8 portions, each portion into 4 cookies.

  • 3 cups walnuts (or pecans)
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (or half butter, half shortening)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbs vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup dried cranberries (or dried blueberries)

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. To toast nuts, spread evenly on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan. Bake, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Coarsely chop and set aside. In a large bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and oats; add to sugar mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in dried berries and toasted nuts.

  2. To bake entire batch, drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets and bake at the time and temp listed below. To make “break and bake, divide into 8 equal portions, flatten, and mark through the dough into 4 pieces. Wrap in plastic and freeze.

  3. To bake, remove a packet from freezer, separate into the 4 cookies onto a cookie sheet or the infamous pizza pan and bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yield: Makes about 32-36 cookies