It is absolutely dismal outside today. I know I wrote about North Carolina sunshine yesterday but it was mostly wishful thinking. And today it is raining. 35° and raining. Actually the forecast says ice pellets and that sounds more dramatic so we’ll go with that. More importantly, on Saturday we got 6 inches of snow. I’m from Massachusetts, and 6 inches of snow in January isn’t generally a big deal. But here it’s a big deal for everyone, even the tough Yankees. A state that gets snow maybe once every two years doesn’t have the equipment necessary to deal with a storm like the one we had, and while the papers have been accolading how well prepared we were and how successful “recovery” efforts have been, I am not impressed. I have never seen roads in such a terrible state. They’re better now, but the biggest challenge for me is the sidewalks. I generally enjoy my 15 minute walk to school, but with a two inch thick sheet of ice covering everything that isn’t the road, my morning walk is an ordeal. And the rain, which sort of instantly freezes on top of the already gross slush sheet makes it even worse. Anyway, by the time I got home from class, I needed a cookie. Forget homework.
These cookies are basically glorified and compacted GORP. Why eat something in handfuls when you can just eat all the same ingredients in one delicious bite? Exactly. Also I know that GORP stands for good old raisins and peanuts but I think that it’s generally accepted for GORP to be any fruit-nut-chocolate combination that sustains you while hiking… or taking notes in stats class.
The base of these cookies had to be soft and chewy oatmeal to maintain the facade of health in these cookies. (GORP is good for you right? Fruit, protein? I don’t think I have ever burned more calories than I consumed during a hike due to my belief that one bag of M&Ms plus one can of raisins plus one jar of peanuts equals one serving of GORP). But whether they’re good for you or not they’re yummy and comforting and eating them is greatly preferable to being outside in the sleet/rain/ice not eating them. My roommate can vouch for this – she’s eaten three since she walked in the door five minutes ago. And every time she takes one she tells me how much she hates me.
Cranberry-Almond-Chocolate Cookies
- 1/2 c butter, very soft
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 1/4 c white sugar
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 c flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 c oats
- 2/3 c slivered almonds, chopped
- 3/4 c dried cranberries
- 3/4 c chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Cream butter and sugar together. I like to melt my butter and then let it come back to room temperature because it creams so much better. Add egg and egg yolk and whisk until batter is smooth.
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Add oats. Stir to incorporate.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix just until batter is even.
- Toast almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add almonds, cranberries, and chocolate to batter. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.
- Drop the cold batter by spoonfuls onto a baking tray. Bake about 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be golden brown on top but still soft in the center.
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