Nigella's Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Pistachios

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs our theme is "Cookie Exchange" perfect for December when cookie recipes blanket food blogs like freshly fallen snow. I have had my cookie recipe picked out for weeks now, Nigella's Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies from "Feast" basically because it features oats--which I love in a cookie and it has a favorite combination of sweet white chocolate and tangy dried cranberries. I did make one change-Nigella has chopped pecans in these which would be good, but I thought pistachios would be a better choice and you have to love how festive they are with the little flecks of green. Otherwise I made these pretty much as is and didn't try to make them healthy as a cookie exchange seems like the right time for a bit of indulging.

Nigella says: "At this time of year, I think we all find it difficult to keep going between meals. This is the ideal, unnecessary but so gratifying filler, perfect with a cup of tea or, for those of under tea-drinking age, a glass of milk. The oats make these wonderfully chewy and help convince yourself that they are actually very healthy and good for you. Nothing to feel guilty about at all."

Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Pistachios

"Feast", Nigella Lawson

(Makes 30 Cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup superfine sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecans, roughly chopped (I subbed 1/2 cup pistachios roughly chopped)
¼ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and rolled oats into a bowl. Put the butter and sugars into another bowl and beat together until creamy — this is obviously easier with an electric mixer of some kind, but you just need to put some muscle into it otherwise – then beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and oat mixture and then fold in the cranberries, chopped pecans and chocolate chips or white chocolate, chopped into small dice. Set the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 10–15 minutes.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball with your hands, and then place them on a lined or greased baking sheet and squish the dough balls down with a fork. You may need two baking sheets or be prepared to make these in two batches.

Cook for 15 minutes; when ready, the cookies will be tinged a pale gold, but be too soft to lift immediately off the baking sheet, so leave the sheet on a cool surface and let them harden for about 5 minutes. Remove with a spatula or whatever to cool fully on a wire rack.


Notes/Results: These cookies are delicious! A wonderful combination of soft and chewy with lightly crisp edges. The cranberry and white chocolate combo is already a winner and the pistachios add a nice bit of salty crunch. Although with a stick of butter, all the sugar and the white chocolate, no matter what Nigella thinks, these cookies are not really healthy but are healthier than some and if you want to indulge a bit these are a great cookie for it. (And at least you can say you ate your oatmeal and got some fruit and nuts in too!). Although they are getting out of my house and getting dropped off with friends tomorrow because I fear the damage I will do if they stay here, I would make these again, happily. (BTW--I had to take a picture of them on my favorite holiday napkins too!) ;-)

You can check out what cookies and treats the other IHCC participants baked for our Cookie Exchange by heading over to the IHCC site here and following the links as they are posted.

What's your favorite cookie to make or eat?