C is for cookies!

Julie’s Best Oatmeal Cookies

By: Julie Hasson from “Everyday Dish”

Ingredients:

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (white wheat if you're wanting to healthify them)

1 tbs. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

2 sticks Earth Balance, softened (you could also use butter or coconut oil)

2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar (you could probably also sub regular granulated sugar or sucanat + a little molasses, but I haven't tried this)

Egg Replacer for 2 eggs mixed with necessary water (or 2 eggs)

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips (any kind of chocolate is good)

1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Rice milk, optional – add as needed if batter seems a bit too crumbly

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and soda.

In a large bowl, beat together margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add mixed egg replacer and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until just mixed. Add oats, beating until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries.

Scoop mixture onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Press top of cookies with hand to flatten into a disk. Bake 14-15 minutes, or until puffed up and light golden brown, but still soft to the touch. Let cool on baking sheet completely before removing.

Recipe makes a bunch (I usually get at least 4 dozen.). Mark loves eating the cookie dough raw!

** To keep cookies soft, store in an airtight container with a marshmallow. The marshmallow keeps the cookies nice and soft. (In my opinion, marshmallows work even better than a piece of bread because sometimes bread makes the cookies soggy.) This trick also works with brown sugar.