Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

So RageBake is all about baking when your mood is so awful that all you want to do is punch a wall, or scream and yell. It's about taking that frustration and bad energy and putting it in to dough, the batter, or whatever, and ending up with something amazing instead of just a hole in your wall. Well, turns out that for me it doesn't apply to stress. Not this time. 

Anyone familiar with the news out of the USA knows that Hurricane Harvey recently hit Houston pretty hard. Those of you familiar with the blog might remember that my sister lived there, and was still there when Harvey hit. Living where she did we thought she'd escape the worst of it but that was not to be the case. 3 days before she, her hubby, and her puppy were supposed to load up a moving van and head for Canada they got evacuated from their living room by boat. Now, nothing that I can say about being helpless will ever compare with the awfulness they personally endured but know this: being stuck in another country when your sister and your bother-in-law need more help than ever, and not being able to do anything, is a terrible feeling!!

You can see how high the water was! Ugh, I can't even image what it was like.

They did lose a lot of stuff, though not nearly as much as many other families, but with the help and generosity of friends, and some pretty incredible strangers they are safe and have made it to Canada!  Without even realizing it I hardly baked at all while they were going through all this, while waiting for them to arrive, or once they finally made it up here. I had no idea how stressed out I was until they pulled into the driveway of their new house a couple of weeks ago. So many tears of joy and stress that day - from everyone! 

Was a sad day to be a cookbook!

If you've been following Instagram then you'll know we have been having some pretty amazing food since their arrival but I haven't been taking the time to capture it all in photo, or to write about it here since I've been far too busy enjoying their company! That said, I'm back! I have some recipes coming up that I'm dying to share that will hopefully get your Christmas cookie boxes filled to the brim. I know said Christmas, believe me I didn't want to, but let's be honest, it is coming up! You must have some favourite family recipes, right? Everyone does. I'll share a few over the next couple of weeks as we ramp up to the holiday season, but expect the bulk of them in December.

Before I go I do want to share with you a recipe that I had long forgotten about, one that perhaps you can help me with. I started making these a few years ago for the farmer's market and they were quite popular but they are in desperate need of a name! Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate cookies is just too much! Plus it doesn't cover the brown butter or the toasted hazelnuts! So instead of a title that just lists all the best ingredients I need something better. Winter Bliss? I don't know, I worry that's too close to the Bliss bars from Starbucks. Or maybe I'm over thinking it. If you have any ideas after checking out the recipe please help me! For now:

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Food52's Pantry Cookie)

1/2 C unsalted butter
2/3 C all-purpose flour
2/3 C rolled-oats
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C toasted hazelnuts* or pecans**, chopped
1/2 C white chocolate wafers
1/2 C dried cranberries
Fleur de Sel (optional)

Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Transfer brown butter to a small bowl; let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, kosher salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk combine the egg, both sugars, and the vanilla until thickened and the whisk leaves tracks through the mixture. Add the brown butter.

Switch to the paddle attachment and add the flour mixture until just combined. On low, add in the chopped nuts, white chocolate, and cranberries.

Using a 1.5 tbsp ice cream scoop (or two spoons) places balls of dough 2" apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and press down slightly on the tops. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cook on a rack and very lightly sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.

Enjoy!

*To toast hazelnuts place them on a baking sheet in a 350F oven and roast for 10-15mins. Wrap in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove skins. Don't worry about any that don't come off. Set aside to cool.

 **Toast pecans as you would the hazelnuts but skip the skinning step. Remove from pan to cool so they don’t continue cooking. 

As always I want to know what you've been baking! Be sure to tag your Instagram photos with #ragebake