Spiced Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Cookies: A Little Something to Nibble on While I'm Gone

By the time you read this, I'll be on my way to Seattle for the International Food Blogger Conference sponsored by Foodista. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Not only am I going to meet some of my favorite food bloggers and Twitter friends, but I'll be learning some great tips and strategies to hopefully make SGCC bigger and better. Plus, I've never been to Seattle before and I've always wanted to visit there.

I'm arriving a day early so that I can check out some of the sites, especially the famous Pike Place Market. Tomorrow, I'll be out there, shopping 'til I drop and I can't wait!

I wanted to leave you with a little something to nibble on while I'm gone and I couldn't think of anything better than these fabulous Spiced Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Cookies. I found a version of these little beauties on Smitten Kitchen's web site many months ago and fell in love with them. Deb makes hers with white chocolate chunks, but I've tweaked the recipe to include cinnamon-spiced dried apples and cranberries. She says that they are "scandalously good", and I agree. I think that they are To. Die. For., and I hope you do too!

Hope you all have delicious weekend!

Spiced Cranberry Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated via Smitten Kitchen
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup dried apples chopped into small bits*
1 cup dried cranberries*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1 tablespoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel for sprinkling)

*Note: I use a dried fruit mixture from the market which is a blend of diced, dried apples and cranberries that is already flavored with cinnamon. It is the perfect thing for these cookies. I think Sun Maid makes it.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Toss apples, cranberries and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Add rolled oats and fruit mixture and mix well.

Scoop the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Place on the baking sheet about 2 1/2-3 inches apart. You should get about 8 cookies on a sheet. Gently press down each ball slightly just to flatten the top a little. Sprinkle a small pinch of flaky salt on top of each cookie.

Bake until cookies are a golden brown, about 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.