My parents came to visit last weekend and I wanted to bake a tasty treat that could stay out on the counter the entire weekend, ready for whenever somebody wanted a snack.  Since my dad is generally a sucker for anything oatmeal-y with fruit in it (think oatmeal raisin cookies or warm apple pear crisp), I decided to make my usual oatmeal cookie base, and toss in some dried fruits that you wouldn’t normally associate with cookies.  I had some dried apricots, dried pineapple, and golden raisins, then added some white chocolate chips to round out the cookies while keeping true to the blonde theme!  I also sprinkled in some ginger, because it just felt right.  After all, I had my dad in mind and he loooooves ginger.  They were a hit–my dad kept “sneaking” them all weekend (although he wasn’t too stealthy about it!)

Blonde Bombshell Oatmeal Cookies
Yield:  4 dozen cookies
Time:  15 minutes active;  1 hour chilling;  1 hour baking

7/8 cup (14 tbsp.) butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. cinnamon
1½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. salt
3 cups oats, uncooked (I always use the Old Fashioned Quaker oats)
15 dried apricots, diced into small pieces
¾ cup golden raisins
½ cup dried pineapple, diced into small pieces
1 cup white chocolate chips

1.  Using a pastry blender, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Stir to mix well.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and oats.  Add to the butter/sugar mixture in several additions, mixing after each addition.

3.  Stir in all of the dried fruit and chocolate chips.  Chill the batter in the refrigerator for 30-90 minutes (or overnight).

4.  Grease a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray and preheat the oven to 350°F.

5.  Scoop the batter out of the bowl using a teaspoon.  Form a ball from the rounded teaspoon of batter, and drop it onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, or until golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Blonde Bombshell Oatmeal Cookies