Saturday, December 17, 2005

Cookie Collection 2005

A contender for Cookie Collection 2005

"A Holiday Cookie Recipe With Spirit!"

Oatmeal White Chocolate-Chunk Cookies with Spicy Spiked Cranberries

Ingredients:
1 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons Scotch whiskey
1 teaspoon habanero chile powder
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, slighty softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups white chocolate chunks
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions:
Place the cranberries, whiskey and chile powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes or until the cranberries have absorbed most of the liquid. Set cranberries aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare several baking sheets with cooking spray or butter. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. Use a mixer to beat the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add the egg and corn syrup and beat until fluffy. Beat in the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Stir in the oats, cranberries and chocolate.

Refrigerate the batter for at least 10 minutes. Drop the dough in tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at time, for about 12 minutes or until the edges are golden. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Contributed by Chilefire

"Votes" will be accepted from 1159pm, December 26, 2005 until 1159pm, December 31, 2005.

2 comments:

ScottE. said...

I made these tonight. They are tasty good!

I followed the recipe almost exactly.

I didn't have Scotch, I used Jack Daniels! Tasted Great.

I thought I was clever and scooped the dough out with an ice cream scoop, so the cookies were larger and took 20 minutes total. I could fit five to six cookies per tray. Sadly, my cleverness back fired when the cookies were too large to fit in the mouth of my cookie jar!!! They are about the size of a cookie you'd get at Starbucks.

They are good and tasty. The first few bites I couldn't taste the whisky or chile powder. Then I think I got a bite with several cranberries in it and I could taste the whiskey. The pepper taste didn't really come through, I didn't use habanero chile powder, but ancho chile powder. I guess I don't really know the difference. Maybe straight up cayenne powder would work.

Also, make sure the read the recipe carefully. I read it, went to the store, came home and after dinner just started. I should have reviewed the recipe. I barely remembered to simmer the cranberries and whiskey together. And I didn't chill the dough for the first batch, I did for the second and remaining batches.

I loved using the ice cream scoop, so I think I'm going to look for a smaller volume scoop for future cookies, it was soo easy and no mess!

Congratulations Chilefire on the winning recipe for "Cookie Collection 2005!"

Dancer in DC said...

These were certainly yummy. Perhaps just increasing the amount of cranberries would add more of that vibrant flavor.