Thoughts on a summery oatmeal cookie

Oatmeal cookies- not just with raisins and cinnamon any more! Try these summer oatmeal honey apricot cookies for a fun twist on a classic recipe. Then, when the wind gets chillier and you feel October really coming on, try my spicy oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies.

Summer Oatmeal Honey Apricot Cookies

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Unsalted butter

1/4 cup Butter flavor shortening ***

3/4 cup Packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp Molasses

1/4 cup Honey

2 Large eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 cup AP flour

1 tsp Salt

3/4 tsp Baking soda

3 cups Old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups Chopped dried apricots

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and shortening on medium until smooth. Beat in sugar, molasses and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beat until smooth. Add in vanilla.

2. In large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and oats. Slowly beat into butter mixture, in three additions. Add in chopped apricots and mix until well combined.

3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies (about 2 Tbsp a piece) onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are set. Remove from oven and allow to rest on pans for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool.

*** Why shortening and why butter flavor shortening?

I don't normally recommend using shortening in baking. However, with cookies, shortening does two things- it provides a very smooth texture and it increases the temperature at which the fats (the butter and shortening) in your cookies melt. This keeps your cookies from spreading too thin during baking and allows your cookies to stay chewy and soft.

I use butter flavor shortening to at least mimic the rich flavor of real butter since I'm using an otherwise flavorless, highly processed ingredient.

Don't worry, regular shortening will work too and if you only have butter and don't wish to use shortening, that's ok too. Just be prepared for a thinner cookie!

Thoughts on an autumnal oatmeal cookie

This spicy cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookie is an update on the basic oatmeal raisin cookie. You can swap the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips for butterscotch chips and apple chips or raisins and walnuts or chocolate chunks with a raspberry drizzle.

Spicy Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Unsalted butter

1/4 cup Butter flavor shortening***

3/4 cup Packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp Molasses

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

2 Large eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp Salt

3/4 tsp Baking soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground cloves

3 cups Old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups Dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups White chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and shortening on medium until smooth. Add in brown sugar, molasses and granulated sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beat until smooth. Add in vanilla.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and oats. Gradually add into butter mixture on low speed until just combined. Add in cranberries and white chocolate chips, mix until well combined.

3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop cookies, about 2 Tbsp in size, onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set. Allow to rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool.

*** Why shortening and why butter flavor shortening?

I don't normally recommend using shortening in baking. However, with cookies, shortening does two things- it provides a very smooth texture and it increases the temperature at which the fats (the butter and shortening) in your cookies melt. This keeps your cookies from spreading too thin during baking and allows your cookies to stay chewy and soft.

I use butter flavor shortening to at least mimic the rich flavor of real butter since I'm using an otherwise flavorless, highly processed ingredient.

Don't worry, regular shortening will work too and if you only have butter and don't wish to use shortening, that's ok too. Just be prepared for a thinner cookie!