'Tis the season for baking! Oh, how I love the aromas of cookies baking in the oven; the lovely warmth and scents that fill the kitchen. It's nurturing, cozy, and wonderfully festive. Freshly baked cookies are my favorite homemade gift to give neighbors, teachers, co-workers, anyone who deserves a sweet treat. These delicious Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Almonds are the perfect cookies to wrap up and tie with a pretty string or to enjoy with a hot cup of tea. They're full cinnamon and cardamom and dotted with delicious dried cherries and almonds. These are not your ordinary oatmeal cookies!
Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Almonds
Courtesy of Scandinavian Gatherings: From Afternoon Fika to Midsummer Feast: 70 Simple Recipes & Crafts for Everyday Celebrations
Makes 3 dozen
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup dried tart cherries
½ cup sliced almonds
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and flu y, about 1 minute. Add the e s one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until blended.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cardamom. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Beat on low until combined.
4. Stir in the oats, cherries, and almonds. The dough might be too thick for an electric mixer at this point. If that’s the case, stir in these last additions by hand with a wooden spoon.
5. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls (about the size of a Ping-Pong ball), and place them 2 inches apart on the pre- pared baking sheets. Place twelve cookie dough balls on each baking sheet.
6. Bake for 11 minutes, or until the cookies are set and slightly flattened out. Put the cookies on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
