Double Chocolate Cranberry Chunkies

These are one of my favorite cookie recipes EVER. I found the recipe in a cookbook that was a Christmas present a few years back (The Great American Cookie CookBook), and it quickly became a cookie added to the list of "To Make Often." A friend asked for the recipe, and I realized I've yet to share it on here, so without further ado:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teas. vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks or large chocolate chips
3/4 dried cranberries or dried tart cherries
Additional granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and alt in small bowl; set aside. Beat butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chunks and cranberries.

3. Drop dough by level 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Flatten dough with bottom of glass that has been dipped in additional granulated sugar.

4. Bake 11-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool cookies 2 minutes on cookie sheets; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Makes about 1 dozen (4-inch) cookies.

Note: I never make them as big as the recipe calls for, and they cook about 10-12 minutes still.

Cranberry Nut Bread

I made this today with raspberries in place of cranberries and lowered the sugar a tad, and it came out great!

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teas salt
1 1/2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
2 T all natural applesauce
3/4 cup Orange juice
1 T orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9" x 5" loaf pan.
Combine flour, sugar, salt, powder, and soda.
Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour.
In separate bowl, mix together egg, applesauce, orange juice, and zest.
Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture, and stir until JUST blended.
Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to rack to cool completely.

pear-cranberry crisp

.: Ingredients :.
4 ripe pears, sliced
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3/4 c rolled oats
1 TB cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c dried cranberries (Craisins)
2 TB chopped walnuts

.: Directions :.
(1) preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray (or lightly butter it).
(2) Spread the pear slices over the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Sprinkle the mixture over the pears.
(3) In a small bowl, cut the butter into very fine pieces with a fork and combine with the oats. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Toss to mix. Sprinkle evenly over the pears.
(4) Bake about 40 minutes or until bubbling.

*NOTES*
A few things I did or will do differently...
- I used 2 pears and 2 apples, so you can certainly change up the fruit if you want!
- I used raw sugar instead of brown sugar
- I will probably use 2 TB of butter next time to get a more even coverage, there were some dry oatmeal areas on mine, still tasted perfectly fine though, so completely your call!
- I might use more walnuts, maybe 4 TB because I really like them :)
- I used Quick Oats... the recipe didn't specify quick or old-fashioned, I imagine either would do

OATMEAL CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

{from the Oceanspray website}

these are one of my new go-to cookie recipes, they're like a cookie and a granola bar got together and had a baby...

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 30 cookies.