Fist-Size Oatmeal, Cranberry, Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Currently in Florida with Dan and his family, we're here for our annual winter trip, spending time together, enjoying the nice weather and of course eating great food.  And although there's absolutely no shortage of good things to eat when restaurants are concerned, it's sometimes nice to stay in, take advantage of a spacious kitchen with fabulous appliances and give it a run for its money.

Dan and I tag teamed it for dinner the other night, where he took care of the main course, I did the sides and the dessert, which I'm going to highlight here.  I got inspired to make oatmeal, cranberry, chocolate chunk cookies that I saw Giada making on a recent episode of  Giada at Home.  The sheer size of these things impressed me, and I loved the combination of quality chocolate (Ghirardelli), oatmeal, cinnamon and chocolate chunks. 

I hope the pictures above tell its true story, because they came out wonderfully.  Everyone agreed and enthusiastically grabbed a still-warm cookie, which was immediately chased by a glass of milk or coffee.  They're really delicious after dinner or for a mid-day snack.  Since they're so large, I advise you to break them in half if you're not in a spoil yourself kind of mood.

Here is the recipe - please enjoy!

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipe

Happy Holidays with Double Chocolate Crackles

Happy Holidays Astoria! I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season (Christmas tonight, if you're celebrating) with family and friends.  In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to bring you a fun cookie recipe, which is festive and yummy.  I whipped it up for a holiday get-together at Meg and Tom's and it made for a good host gift, as I wrapped it in a festive container and dressed it with pretty ribbon and tissue paper. 

Having a few left-overs, I offered the cookies to my parents the next day and they enjoyed them too.  Overall, they're simple to make but do require some patience when shaping them into little round nuggets.  If you feel like the dough is falling apart a bit, wet your hands slightly so the batter sticks together easily.  You can eat them fresh out of the oven or even up to a week of baking them.  They offer a lot of chocolatey goodness.

Double Chocolate Crackles Recipe