These cookies are no fail. Add whatever YOU like!
- Carbohydrate 37.2222041949142 g
- Cholesterol 23.2715397388824 mg
- Fat 13.0346086520311 g
- Fiber 1.6083361626163 g
- Protein 2.92348840456921 g
- Saturated Fat 6.82648159413956 g
- Serving Size 1 1 cookie (69g)
- Sodium 72.9707847201157 mg
- Sugar 35.6138680322979 g
- Trans Fat 0.869447495490026 g
- Calories 272 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- In medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and all spice.
- In separate large bowl, cream together shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- Combine well.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Then add oats, cranberries, and chocolate if you so desire.
- Use 1/4 cup and scoop onto cookie sheet... you should get about 6 per sheet.
- Bake for at least 8 minutes, but most likely will bake for 12 depending on your stove.
Standard drop cookies rely on strict proportions of butter and sugar to hold their shape, but this formulation uses vegetable shortening and a heavy hand of whole oats to build a sturdier, highly customizable matrix that tolerates almost any mix-in without collapsing. Creaming the shortening and sugars together at a moderate speed incorporates millions of tiny air cells which expand inside the 350-degree oven, creating a lighter crumb despite the dense addition of oats and fruit. Stopping the mixer the moment the flour hits the wet ingredients prevents gluten development, ensuring the final baked yield remains tender rather than tough or chewy.
Adapting this base dough for dietary restrictions requires understanding the structural role of each component. Replacing all-purpose flour with a certified gluten-free cup-for-cup blend works smoothly here because the whole oats and spices mask any slight graininess inherent in alternative starches. Dairy-free adjustments are straightforward since the fat source is already vegetable shortening rather than butter, though bakers must check that any added chocolate chips are dairy-free. Eggs provide the primary binding network, and while commercial egg replacers can bind the dough, expect a denser, more uniform spread across the baking sheet.
Incorporating mix-ins involves balancing moisture content to prevent soggy centers. Dried fruits like cranberries contribute concentrated sweetness and chewy texture without adding excess water weight, whereas fresh fruit would release moisture and destabilize the dough structure during baking. Preserved mix-ins also have a significantly longer shelf life, allowing fully baked cookies to retain their structural integrity for up to five days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Portioning the dough with a standard quarter-cup measure guarantees even heat penetration, resulting in uniform browning across the sheet pan over the twelve-minute bake time. Rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking window compensates for hot spots in standard home ovens. Cool the finished cookies on the pan for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack, allowing the internal starches to fully set without overcooking the bottoms.
