Friday, July 29, 2011

Oatmeal Walnut Craisin Cookies

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We're taking Aimee to the zoo for the first time today. I am really excited. Of course, she has no idea what the zoo is, but is excited nevertheless. Toddlers are easily excited, aren't they?

All of you probably know how much packing goes into a simple day trip when there's a toddler involved. You can't forget anything. Everything little thing is crucial. So many things! And one thing you can't leave the house without is snacks. Something toddler friendly and preferably healthy. My little girl loves craisins, and while I am carrying a little box full of them for her, I thought I would also make something with craisins that she, and the adults on the trip could enjoy.
I went back to my dear friend, Ina, for a cookie recipe. I pretty much stuck to her recipe and just made a few minor substitutions. You can find the original recipe here. This recipe usually yields 36 normal sized cookies for me, but I made 24 regular sized ones, and 24 toddler sized ones, just so she can hold them firmly in her little hands.
Oatmeal Walnut Craisin Cookies
Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe on the Food Network
Ingredients
100g walnuts
1 1/2 cups (185g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp powdered cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
225g (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
100g craisins

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. You can start all your mixing while the ovens preheating.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and set aside.
3. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes until toasted. Set aside to cool.
4. Cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the vanilla and beat well.
7. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix until combined.
8. Chop the cooled walnuts into morsel sized bits.
9. Add the oatmeal, walnuts and craisins into the bowl and stir until combined.
10. Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons, drop 2 inch mounds of the cookie mix on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
11. Transfer the baked cookies to a rack and allow them to cool completely.
12. Store in an airtight container.
I really liked these cookies. Next time, I would add more walnuts. Ina's recipe does call for more nuts than I used, but all I had at hand was a 100g pack. I slightly over-baked one of the batches, and ended up with crispy, rather than chewy cookies. Those are pretty good too, but I just prefer the chewy kind. So just keep an eye on the cookies, and don't let them get crisp. Unless you like them that way, of course!

I just noticed that I have been making so many recipes with craisins lately, you would think they were going extinct. First there were those Cranberry-Orange scones, and then the Oatmeal Cranberry muffins, and now these cookies. I will lay off the craisin recipes for a while. I promise. :)
Okay, we're off to the zoo now. Woohoo! :)
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36 comments:

Briarrose said...

Toddler sized cookies...I love it!  Wonderful yummies.

spcookiequeen said...

Yum, I'm sure you will have a great time at the zoo with these yummy cookies.  I does seem like you have to pack everything, including the kitchen sink.  Have fun.
-Gina-

Inside a British Mum's Kitchen said...

I LOVE this - oatmeal walnut crasin is a GREAT combo.  Hope you had fun at the zoo!
Mary

Kitchen Belleicious said...

Those look AMAZING!

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Have fun with Aimee at the zoo!  She must be so thrilled to see real life size of animals!  Hmmm the cookies look delicious!  I know I used to pack a lot even for a day trip, but now my kids can eat a bigger portion of meals that they don't require snacking much.  It will be less and less stuff as she gets older and you can eventually carry "a handbag" again instead of a diaper bag!

Beth Hyzy said...

I hope you had fun at the zoo! :) These cookies look delicious!

Lizzy said...

The first zoo trip? How marvelous! I love oatmeal cookies and would much rather have craisins over raisins in mine...so yummy!

Pudding Pie Lane said...

Haha, crazins, I remember these! (I say that as if they're no longer sold :S) I love them too!

Erin said...

Hope your trip to the zoo was a success!  I remember those days of toddlerhood well.  Now my son is 6, and he is much more responsible for what gets brought on a trip :)   I love the cute little toddler sized cookies here, great idea!

Lisa said...

Toddler sized cookies?  Does that mean I can eat double the amount? lol  They look amazing, always looking for a good oatmeal cookie recipe!  I think I'd make these with dried cherries, since I have a ton of them I need to use.

That said, you have to try the carrot cake, it's probably one of the best I've ever had :)

Roxana GreenGirl said...

next weekend we are taking Tiffany at the county fair to see the animals, I'm already excited to see what her reaction will be around them. So far she has only seen dogs and cats.
These cookies would be perfect for out day trip too. Thanks for sharing Marsha.
Sharing it on StumbleUpon!! 

Magic of Spice said...

1st trip to the zoo, how fun :) These cookies look delightful and love that they have walnuts, delicious! 

Frugal Antics said...

My sons adored the zoo when they were little.  I hope you had a great time.  Those cookies would definitely be a hit on any outing!

Purabi Naha said...

Absolutely great! I loved the recipe and the cookies in the picture look so tempting!

Baking Serendipity said...

I hope you had a great trip to the zoo! It's one of my favorite places :) And oatmeal cranberry cookies are one of my favorites as well! Wish I could have been around for the zoo trip.

Manu said...

This is a fantastic idea for a healthy snack the whole family can enjoy! I love it!  Hope you have a great time at the zoo!  My girls loved it when we went last summer! :-)

Kate Harries said...

Hope you had a great day out- did your little 'un enjoy the zoo? It goes without saying I'm sure she must have loved her own personalised cookies!

theharriedcook said...

Thank you! The toddler did too :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

It does, doesn't it? It's getting a lot better the bigger she gets :) We did have a great time at the zoo :) Thanks for stopping by, Gina!

theharriedcook said...

We did, Mary! :) And the cookies were a hit! All thanks to Ina :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

Thank you, Jessica! And they tasted pretty great too! :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

We had a lovely time at the zoo, Nami! You are so right about this - these days I don't have to carry a diaper bag much. Most times when I know I am going to be out just for 4-5 hours, I manage just fine with my oversized handbag that I love. It is only for longer trips, and day trips like this one that I need to pack a  bag for her. She's always getting into mischief and often needs a change of outfit during the day :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

We did! And the cookies really added to the good time :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

It really was a marvelous day out... She had fun... I would always pick craisins over raisins, too :) Thanks for stopping by, Lizzy!

theharriedcook said...

LOL :D Thank you for your comment, Xinmei :)

theharriedcook said...

It was a great trip... I used to think things would be nicer when she grew up, but she's almost two and I already miss my little baby :) The cookies were a hit, and she loved them, too :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

You bet! :) This is a really good oatmeal cookie recipe. It is an Ina Garten recipe, and I usually trust her recipes :) Dried cherries would be so good in these! :) I bookmarked your carrot cake, and I intend to try it sometime :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

What fun! I am sure Tiffany is going to have a great time... It's amazing how much little ones love animals... :) I hope you try this recipe... Thanks for sharing it on StumbleUpon and for stopping by! :)

theharriedcook said...

The walnuts were my favorite part too! I wish I had added more... The zoo was fun! :) Thanks for stopping by...

theharriedcook said...

Thank you, Kristen! She had a great time... and the cookies were a big hit! Thanks for stopping by :)

theharriedcook said...

Thank you, Purabi! I really appreciate your comment :) Thank you for stopping by!! :)

theharriedcook said...

We did have a great trip.. these cookies were a great thing to take along :) I wish you could have gone too... You must plan a trip to your local zoo too... You can't do that often enough... So much fun! :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

I thought so too... I liked the proportion of flour to oatmeal. Next time, I might just cut down on the quantity of sugar, and add more fruit & walnuts... That would make it healthier :) Aimee and all of us loved our trip to the zoo :) Thanks for stopping by!

theharriedcook said...

She loved the zoo and seeing all the animals up-close! We had a fun time :) And she loved the cookies... It was the perfect size for her little hands :) Thanks for stopping by, Kate!

Erin @ Making Memories said...

Your cookies look wonderful!  I just love Craisins!  Great job!

theharriedcook said...

Thank you, Erin! :) I do too! Thanks for stopping by... 

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