Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Cranberries....

So, yesterday was our first day back to school for the 2011-2012 year.  Hard to believe summer break is over...it went by so fast!!  (Not to mention the fact that it is still crazy hot here!)  I wanted to make a treat for the kids for their first day and thought oatmeal cookies sounded like a great plan (what with all the cupcakes and such going on around here lately, ordinary things like cookies haven't been on the baking menu for awhile).  But I also thought maybe I would shake it up a bit and use dark chocolate and cranberries, instead of my usual milk chocolate chips and/or raisins. (Lisa Carroll, if you are reading this...ignore the raisins and cranberries...focus on the chocolate. lol!)

Yep, they were super yummy.  Even Jackson, who is generally sketchy about anything oatmeal related, said, "Mom, you should always make these just like this."  I made half of the batch with just dark chocolate chunks, and the other half with chocolate and craisins....to satisfy all the picky people in my house.

If this recipe seems familiar to you, it's because it is the one straight off the Quaker Oats cannister...has always been and will continue to be my FAV oatmeal cookie recipe......until I find one I like better!

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Dark Chocolate

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups oats (old-fashioned or quick cook...I prefer old-fashioned), uncooked
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), beat butter and sugars on medium speed until creamy.
2.  Add eggs and vanilla;  beat well.
3.  Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.
4.  Stir in oats, chocolate, and cranberries.
5.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (I use my Pampered Chef cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets.
6.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until tops are light golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I think I'm going to go have one right now.  What good is running 4 miles a day if you can't have a cookie every once in a while, right?!

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.