Breakfast Cookies
Nuts and Bolts:
I first made this recipe for a preschool mom’s reunion breakfast at my house. I wanted a cookie that could be served at breakfast or brunch. I was looking for a cookie that was sweet but also filling. I found; Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies. By Giada De Laurentiis, I love this recipe and make it a lot during the holidays. My daughter’s swim club always has an intra-squad meet that is the team’s holiday party on the morning of Christmas Eve, The team loves these cookies, and I always bring them. I have changed the original recipe slightly to make it work in my mess.
My thoughts on Breakfast Cookies:
There are a lot of ingredients for this cookie, so do not be put off by it.
This cookie can be a little fiddly but is a straightforward recipe to bake.
You do not need to chop chocolate, even though the original recipe calls for 4 ounces of chopped chocolate. Honestly, who has time for that? Just buy dark chocolate chips and weigh out 4 ounces.
The recipe does work best with an ice cream scoop. I use a 4 ounce one for this recipe.
Method:
Here are the ingredients from left to right: old fashioned oats, an egg, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, light brown sugar, sugar, the flour mixture, and butter.
First, I check how the oven racks are placed in the oven, making sure the top rack is in the oven's middle. Then preheat the oven to 350°F. Gather and measure the butter, the sugar, the light brown sugar (packed), the vanilla extract, an egg, the old fashioned oats, the cranberries, and the chocolate chips.
Important tip: The original recipe calls for a 60% Cacao chocolate bar. So, it suggests chopping up a bar, but they sell this kind of chocolate as chips, saving a whole step. I weigh it out, or you can use a ½ cup measure.
Weighing out the chocolate for the cookie.
Next, I measure and whisk the flour mixture; by combining the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. I prefer to use giant pitchers for this since it will be poured into the stand mixer.
Important tip: I like to whisk my flour mixtures together to aerate the flour and ensure that all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. This helps distribute all the dry ingredients throughout the batter and ensures a better cookie.
Whisking together the flour, cinnamon, baking, powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together. Let it mix for a minute or until it is light and smooth. This is an important step since you are setting up the base of the cookie. Next, add the egg and make sure it is thoroughly incorporated. Then add the vanilla. After that, slow the mixer down and gradually add the flour mixture. When all the flour mixture is in the bowl, gradually bring up the speed to medium-high. Then slow it down again. First, add the oatmeal, then cranberries, and finally, the chocolate chips. The dough will look more like a crumbly mess. That is ok!
The finished dough. It will look crumbly.
Important tip: I love ice cream scoops for baking. They help with evenly portion the dough for cookies, muffins, and other baked goods. So they are worth the money for good ones. We got ours from a restaurant supply store, and they are worth the investment.
I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then I scope out the dough and clean any dough that is on the edges of the scoop. After that, I place it on the cookie sheet. Using a spoon or my favorite tool, my hands press the dough down to become flat. These cookies do not spread, and if you do not flatten them, they will come out like balls. Once all the cookies are on your sheet, bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 13- 15 minutes. Then take them out of the oven and let them cool down on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, Do not skip this step, or you will not have cookies. You will have a yummy mess.
Final thoughts on breakfast cookies:
These are fiddly cookies, but they are so yummy. They are my husband's favorite, so he eats as many as I make. So I hope you enjoy them in your mess.
Breakfast cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces or 1/2cup of 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate chips or bar
DIRECTiONS:
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together for about 1 minute until light and smooth. Add the egg, then vanilla, and beat until they are completely incorporated. Slow the machine down and gradually add the flour mixture. Then, speed up the machine to make sure that all the flour gets thoroughly mixed. Add the oats, cranberries, and chocolate chunks. Mix until they are dispersed throughout the dough. The dough will be stiff and crumbly. Using a 4-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop rounded mounds of the dough spaced evenly apart on each baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon or your hand, flatten the tops slightly and bake until the cookies are slightly golden on the edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
