Holiday oatmeal cookies.

Looking for something a little more seasonal than your standard oatmeal raisin cookies? Try these out. These oatmeal cookies are the perfect balance of crunch and chewy. And they are chocked full of holiday favorites like ginger, cinnamon, oranges, cranberries, and (of course) chocolate.


Check out the recipe after the jump:


The Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter, melted
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• zest of 2 medium oranges (orange flavored craizins can be substituted for the orange zest and cranberries if you are too lazy to zest)
  
• 2 cups a. p. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup mixed chopped nuts (I used equal parts pecans, almonds, and walnuts)

The Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375
• In a large miking bowl, beat butter and sugar till incorporated
• Mix in eggs, vanilla, and orange zest
  
• In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices
• Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into wet
• Mix in oatmeal
• Fold in chocolate chips, cranberries, and nuts
• Scoop batter onto baking sheet in 1 tablespoon scoops
• Bake for 10-13 minutes until edges are lightly brown (Be careful with this cookie. The center will be very soft when its cooking, and you may think its undercooked. But they will darken and firm up considerably when they cool. You will have to trust me on this one, or else the wrath of cookie lovers everywhere will be upon you for burning the cookies.)
• Cool on baking rack for at least 5 minutes before eating
• Enjoy!