Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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?

21 comments:

  1. Well, I'm sticking with Nigella...oats and cranberries are good for you. At least that's what I'm going to be telling myself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with Pam!
    Looks like health food to me, I will take half a dozen, please. :)
    Oatmeal cookies are the best! I love how festive these are, and I am a huge fan of Anne Taintor Collage. I have lots of her fridge magnets.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pam and Natashya know what's going on. Health food is a very subjective term. A very relative one. For example, one of these is healthi(er) than a big mac at McDonald's. So you've already got a step up. Plus it tastes better.

    These look amazing! This would be one of my favorite cookies ever. I may have to make it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't get enough of cranberries in cookies! I'd never thought of adding pistachios. Sounds great and love your photos!

    ReplyDelete
  5. A great choice to sub the pistachios in place of the pecans. I bet the color is great. Love the napkin - very cute!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ur cookies are fantastic-i love cranberries but i juat cant find 'em and yeah pistas are simply fantastic for cookies this season.........
    And cookies are absolutely full of goodness to me(so thus =healthy),
    the rich milk cream(read butter), the chocolate & cranberries(choco is good ,so is fruit ),and yeah nuts et all & our good 'ol v healthy oats.....
    Cheers to a elciousness w health hol... :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  7. ANd yeah ur holiday napkins are cute!!!!
    And my fav cookies are "" ALL COOKIES""

    ReplyDelete
  8. Deb... These cookies are a fabulous flavor extravaganza! Bet it is hard to eat just one...

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh i am hooked on NYC black and white cookies! these look amazing Deb and love the pictures

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh! These cookies look delicious, like the combination of cranberries and pistachio...yummie!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love oatmeal with dried cranberries in it, so I'm sure I would adore these cookies. I don't dare bake any unless company is coming.

    ReplyDelete
  12. They look healthy enough for me me, Deb. These definitely fit in the "yum" category.

    ReplyDelete
  13. All of my favorites in one! I love oats in my baked goods, and chewy cranberries and white chocolate! YUM! Delicious combo.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yummy!! These look so good! I am going to make them along with the recipe that I chose. You can never have too many cookies this time of year... right?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those look fabulous - no wonder you need to get them right out of the house. I would bake a lot more if only I had recipients lined up who would welcome the butter and sugar!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the combination of white chocolate cranberries and pistachios, such yummy cookies!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Want 'em!! And totally want those napkins! Great choice :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I like the red and green colors in this cookie, it's so festive and hearty. Yum!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I recently tried the cranberry/white chocolate combination and really liked it! I think the tartness of the cranberries offsets the tremendous sweetness of the white chocolate. This looks like a recipe I'll have to try.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love the color combo. Bet these were divine!

    ReplyDelete

Mahalo for visiting and for leaving a comment. I love reading them and they mean a lot!

All advertising, spam, inappropriate (or just plain rude) comments will be promptly deleted. I do appreciate your right to free speech and to your opinion but I'm not into mean, rude, or mean snarky (non-mean snarky is just fine!) ;-)