Pecan and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

There seems to be a holiday for just about everything. And why not, I guess?

Last Friday, I read somewhere that September 21 is National Pecan Cookie Day. Yes…pecan cookie–not to be confused with National Pecan Day on April 14th. Ok, it’s a US food holiday, but we can celebrate it in Canada too.

I told Nelson about this on Saturday and suggested pecan oatmeal cookies….oh and cranberries. I feel like a healthy eater when I add berries and such to my food.

I realized I didn’t know enough about the pecan, so I did some research. According to what I read on Wikipedia, the pecan is a species of hickory and is not truly a nut. The name is from an Algonquian word meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack. The seeds of the pecan can be eaten fresh but they’re delicious baked in desserts, like this one… and pecan pie… tarts… you get the idea. I’ve even had candied pecans in a scrumptious salad (we’ll have to make that one day–maybe in April for National Pecan Day–we’ve got to spread out our food holidays 😉

So, here’s to National Pecan Cookie Day. I raise a glass of milk to thee. Eat well, friends 😉

Pecan and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This pecan and cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe is so good! It's a little crunchy on the outside, a little soft on the inside and has subtle cinnamon and nutmeg flavours.

Author: Nelson Cardoso

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 20 to 22 cookies

Ingredients

• 4 tbs butter at room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ cups large rolled oats
• ½ cup sweet dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high.
4. Lower the speed to medium and add the maple syrup and egg. Mix for 30 seconds.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients except the cranberries and pecans.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and wet ingredients. Mix well with a heavy spatula or wooden spoon until all ingredients are incorporated and wet.
7. Mix in the cranberries and pecans until evenly distributed in the batter.
8. Using a small ice-cream scoop, fill the scoop tightly against the side of the mixing bowl and drop a ball of dough onto the baking sheet.
9. Keep scooping the dough onto the baking sheet about one inch apart until the batter is all used up.
10. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The edges should look a little toasted and the dough will be a little soft when it comes out. The cookies will harden a touch once they're cool.
11. After about five minutes, transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack for another 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Serve these cookies with a nice cold glass of milk, a hot tea or a delicious coffee!

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