I recently made Food and Wine’s cranberry oatmeal cookies and it was a nice alternative to my chocolate chunk cookie baking rut. These would also be good with slivered almonds or pecans, so get creative.

FOOD AND WINE’S CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

Recipe via Food and Wine

• 1 cup dried cranberries
• hot water, enough to cover the cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or sea salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Soak the cranberries in the hot water for at least 15 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the oats. Set aside.

In a mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Drain the cranberries and stir them into the batter. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour or up to overnight (the dough can also be pre-scooped and frozen for future use).

Line a couple sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop the heaping tablespoon sized portions of the dough onto the lined sheet pans, spacing them about 1 1/2-inches apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned. Let them cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.