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.

Baking Gals

In December I read Susan of Baking With Susan's post about Operation Baking Gals. Operation Baking Gals was started in 2008 by Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic. She asked her fellow bloggers to join her in baking for a cousin who was stationed overseas. Susan (Baking With Susan) has baked in 13 of 16 rounds. Way to go Susan!

A couple of week's ago I read Susan's post that she was hosting this round and looking for people to join her team. I signed up and joined her team. We're baking for Dan. Dan is the boyfriend of the grandaughter of a customer of Susan's and a 1st Lieutenant in Iraq.




I baked 6 dozen chocolate chip and 4 dozen oatmeal raisin. I also included a few bags of hard candies for the guys to enjoy. It made me feel so good to be able to do a little something for someone who sacrifices so much for our country.

I plan to bake in every round I can. If you have an extra afternoon and want to show a soldier how much you appreciate all they do, stop by BakingGals, sign up and join a team!