Baking Gals

This is my second month baking with Operation Baking Gals. I baked along with Team Sweet Treats. We shipped cookies to Tim, who's in the Air Force in Afghanistan.

I did some searching for recipes that travel and keep well when shipping overseas. I found a couple of great sites with recipes. This month's recipe came from Laura's Best Recipes. In keeping with my "Use It Up" theme, I chose this recipe because I had several bags of dried cranberries in the pantry.

These cookies were delicious! The cranberries make a nice addition to oatmeal cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Chef Amanda Kerfoot-Guess
Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies

Sift

3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Allspice

Set aside

In mixer with paddle attachment blend:
1 1/2 Cup Shortening
1 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

At medium speed until light and creamy, about three
minutes.

Add, one at a time, mixing well after each

4 large eggs

Scrape down bowl after each addition

Beat in
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla

Dump in entire flour mixture at once, blend until just combined.
Add

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
3 Cups dried cranberries (or anything that amuses: dried cherries, raisins, nuts)
It's a good idea to let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking. This lets the oats puff up a bit.

Scoop on to baking sheets in 1/4 cup heaps.
Shape with hands to rounds.

Bake at 325 for 14-17 minutes.
Cool on rack.
After they come out of the oven, they may need a bit of reshaping. Use your spatula to gently adjust the cookies into rounds

I am linking this to Foodie Friday's at Designs by Gollum.