By Brenda Fenech-Soler

“So, what does one do with that giant bag of dried cranberries that you picked up while shopping at Costco?  Why, make cookies, of course!  They’re good with a coffee or a cup of your favorite tea.“

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 28-30 cookies)

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons neutral flavored oil (canola, coconut, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups old fashioned oats + ¼ cup hot water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup each:  dried cranberries and chopped pecans

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine butter, oil, and vanilla and stir until softened.  Add sugars and stir to cream together.  Add the egg, and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oats and hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes until oats are slightly softened.  Add them to the wet mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir to combine.  Add to the wet mixture.  Add the cranberries and pecans and mix to combine.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 10 minutes.
6. Measure out tablespoon-sized cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden.
7. Let the cookies cool fully before removing them from the baking sheet.