Christmas cookie review

[sherri]

I was looking for a twist on the traditional chocolate chip oatmeal cookies so I made these. They are very yummy. I think they were posted from Valchemist? Mamasue? Sorry I cannot recall since I copied them from a thread last year. I have never made chocolate chip cookies with browned butter, wow, what a difference this step makes.
See my changes at the bottom.



White Christmas White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe By ede Wilson
Serving Size : 32 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cookies/ Bars

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 2/3 cups oats, rolled (raw) -- use old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate -- broken into pieces
1/2 cup walnuts -- finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar -- firmly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk oats, flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; stir in dried cranberries, white chocolate and nuts

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat until the milk solids turn golden-brown, about 4 minutes; take care not to burn.

Pour browned butter into a large bowl and whisk in brown sugar until combined. Whisk in cinnamon, then whisk in eggs and vanilla, beating well after each. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Mixture will be thick. Drop by generously rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.

Bake until light golden brown and just dry to the touch, but still a little soft inside, about 10 minutes. (For chewier oatmeal cookies, bake 30 seconds to 1 minute less. For very crispy cookies, bake 30 seconds to 1 minute more). Slide parchment onto racks to cook cookies completely.

Makes 75 cookies

Variations: Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies: Substitute dark chocolate for the white, and dried cherries for cranberries. Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Milk Chocolate and Candied Orange: Substitute milk chocolate for the white and diced candied orange for the cranberries.

Source:
"A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies"
Copyright:
"Harvard Common Press"

My notes: I used half all-purpose and whole-wheat pastry flour, used dark chocolate in place of white chocolate and added a little extra cinnamon.

[kcmo727]

If the cookies were good, there is a strong chance that this is a Valcemist recipe, hers are always delish! :)

Thanks for sharing the recipe, I am adding this to my lengthy Christmas cookie consideration pile.

[knunes]

sherri,
I'd prefer to make your variation with the dark chocolate and the cherries---did you use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate? Katie

[sherri]

Hi Katie
I actually used semi-sweet chocolate which I thought worked out really well! Let us know how they turn out with the dried cherries!

[waltnj]

I made these cookies last night & they are great! I am not a fan of white chocolate or dried cranberries, but they seemed to be so perfect for Christmas I thought I would try them out. Wow was I surprized. The oatmeal, cranberry, & white chocolate combo is so yummmy!.
I have never browned butter before so that was a bit of a challenge, but otherwise they were so easy to make too. I only baked a few to try them and I put the rest of the dough in the freezer.
Thanks very much for the recipe, they were a really nice surprize.

Unfortuneatley the Hazelnut Chocolate Chip cookies did not come out nearly as well. Oh well, at least I have time to find a replacement.

Waltnj

[sherri]

Watnj,
Glad you liked the cookies. I don't usually like white chocolate, that is why I went with the dark. I am not sure what hazelnut cookies you are talking about, but there is a hazelnut crescent cookie recipe that is great (I believe it has been posted her in the past). They are dipped in chocolate, very tasty.

[Sheila in MD]

It is always interesting to me that there can be so many differing opionions...I tried these the other night and used semi-sweet chips and cranberries and I didn't like them at all-had nothing to do with the flavor of chips-thought the dough just didn't have much flavor...perhaps it was because I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white (I only did a half recipe...)but I don't think so....Normally, I find the flavor of oatmeal cookies enhanced by using part whole wheat so I guess these just didn't float my boat but glad others enjoyed! I am going to try drizzling melted white chocolate on top to see if they improve that way. My motto on recipes though...is I never know if they appeal to me unless I try them so I don't usually consider one I don't like a failure!

Sheila in MD

[sherri]

Sheila,
That is funny how opinions greatly differ. I found these cookies had a very pronounced butter flavor, not tasteless to me at all. I did also use some whole-wheat pastry flour, but did not find it affected the texture too much. It is always good to hear other reviews of recipes that you make...thanks for yours!