Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

As I am sure I have mentioned before, oatmeal cookies are a MUST for me. I absolutely love them in any way or form. I absolutely love dried cranberries as well. That being said, this cookie is a perfect blend of these two things. My parents bought me this enormous bag of craisins, and what better way to use them all up than in some pastry, right? I began my search, and I turned to the cookie section in flour by Joanne Chang. A simple oatmeal raisin cookie recipe popped up, but I was out of raisins. Therefore, the magical enormous bag of craisins that had been sitting in my pantry since Sunday practically begged me to open it up. So I did, and as a result, these delightful cookies were born. "These just might be my favorite cookies," my mom said. That meant something, because my mom will choose a chocolate chip cookie anytime over an oatmeal cookie. I promise you will not be disappointed by this exotic mixture.

I am planning to add white chocolate and pistachios next time I make these. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 27 1 tablespoon sized cookies

(Per 1 cookie: 97 calories, 3.8 (g) Fat, 15.2 (g) Carbs, 1.1 (g) protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup flour
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup craisins

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
5. Add the craisins and toss to combine
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix until they are completely incorporated
7. Drop the dough in tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly soft
9. Be careful not to overbake; soft, chewy, centers make these cookies irresistible! 
10. Enjoy a "healthy" indulging cookie! 

Breakfast Inspiration

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. You can mask a delicious dessert and call it 'breakfast'. With my sweet tooth, I most definitely need to find a way to make something that feeds my sweet tooth but is healthy at the same time. On my plate every morning you will most likely see waffles, french toast, pancakes, cereal, or yogurt. These are a few of my favorite breakfast combinations. 

{Typical yet yummy breakfast: Special K cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk, banana, whole wheat toast with Smucker's Sugar Free Apricot Jelly}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with kiwi, strawberries, and coffee with whole wheat cookies on the side}

{Homemade Whole Wheat Almond Milk French Toast topped with banana, strawberries, and honey}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with banana and slivered almonds, coffee with oatmeal cookies on the side}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with Komplete cereal and peaches. Scrambled egg whites with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper on the side}

{Homemade Belgian waffles topped with banana and strawberries with chamomille tea on the side}

{Attempt to homemade Egg Mcmuffins with a healthy twist. Whole-wheat bun with a mini egg omelet with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper; Kraft yellow American cheese, and ketchup. Mango and watermelon on the side.}

{Yoplait Vanilla Greek Yogurt topped with kiwi and whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly on the side}

{Pancakes topped with strawberries and banana with almond milk capuccino on the side}

{Macheteadas topped with strawberries and powdered sugar}

Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Crunchy, chewy, and delicious. An all-time granny classic and one of my favorite comfort foods in the world-Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Flipping through recipe books and scrolling down through my Pinterest page, I made up my mind and decided to bake a batch of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. To my surprise, these cookies were extremely easy to make. Even better, according to Chocolate Covered Katie, each cookie has only about 50 calories (guilt-free, gluten-free). These are perfect for anytime you're craving something sweet and you want it fast, yet you don't want to feel the thousand-calorie guilt afterwards. They are also perfect for improvised desserts, midnight snacking, or simply as a side to a warm, soothing cup of coffee.

Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Baking Time: Approximately 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees
This recipe makes about 10-12 tablespoon sized cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp and 2 tsp white granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp oil or melted butter
• 1-2 tbsp milk of choice (start with 1. I used almond milk)

Directions:

In an electric mixer, blend together the dry ingredients. Then, add in the butter and milk. Form into tablespoon-sized cookies and place them on a greased cooking sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.