Our Signature Cookie Recipe

At Greenlake Guest House, we always offer homemade, freshly baked cookies to our guests. The type of cookie varies each day. This recipe for Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies is a guest and family favorite. Adapted from Quaker Oats' famous Vanishing Cookies, the addition of tart, dried cranberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips make these cookies unique. We recommend using a stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar well prior to adding the rest of the ingredients, and don't overbake them if you want a tender, soft cookie.  We consider this to be our signature cookie recipe!

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Baking Time: 14-17 minutes, Servings: Approximately 27 medium-to-large cookies

Ingredients for Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I use regular salted butter, not unsalted)

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked

1 cup dried cranberries

2 cups chocolate chips (may substitute all or some of the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips for a festive holiday cookie)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together for several minutes until they are quite fluffy and creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and blend again. Then add flour and mix in.

Using the low "stir" setting, fold in the oats. Next, add the dried cranberries and chocolate chips. The dough will be quite thick at this stage!

Using a #24 cookie scoop or a medium serving spoon, drop onto ungreased cookie sheets (they are a bit larger than your average homemade cookie).

Bake for about 14 minutes until cookies are golden brown and set (Do not overbake, or your cookies will be crispy instead of soft and chewy).

Note: I prefer to freeze my scooped cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that the cookies don't spread as much and so I can bake just what is needed. I bake the frozen dough balls at 310F on the convection setting (or 325F in a regular oven) for about 17 minutes or until done. I put any extra frozen dough balls into the freezer in a Ziplock bag with the date it was made. The dough will keep for several months in the freezer, if it lasts that long!

More Cookie Recipes:

Baking cookies is a great way to show your guests, friends, and family that you care about them. In December, we enjoy baking a variety of special Christmas cookies. We call it 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. Read our blog for more holiday cookie recipes.