I love… (Day 5)

In honor of Valentines day, I’m going to write a post a day about all of the things that I love. Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4!

I love… cookies!

In 2009, I got the swine flu. At the time that I contracted it, people were really freaked out and didn’t know how severe the epidemic was going to be. I was one of the first documented cases in my town (I still wonder WHO gave it to me), so you can imagine I was pretty shocked.

To make a ridiculously long (but somehow funny in retrospect) story very short, I was bedridden and bored.

For all of you that have ever been home during the day, you may agree with me that the cable television options are lacking. So, my mom got me an issue of Food Network Magazine. As I perused the glossy photos of food that I could hardly stomach in my flu-y state, I came upon these cookies, promising to help keep me from getting the flu.

Since I already had the flu, I thought it might be beneficial to make the cookies anyway. I was certain it would help to shorten the duration of my illness, because, well, they are cookies.

Off to the kitchen I went, and soon these delicious cookies popped out of the oven.

Since then, I’ve made these cookies several times, and they never disappoint. They are nutty and sweet and crunchy and chewy. They are perfect for the flu or just general malaise.

Since there’s all this flu craziness going on this winter, I encourage you to make them. Like, right now. They are VITAL to your health.

Flu-Fighter Cookies (Chocolate Cranberry Raisin Nut Cookies)

Makes 30 cookies

The ingredient list looks long, but these cookies are so worth it. The recipe claims to have all of the important flu-fighting ingredients like greek yogurt and ginger. Feel free to sub-in whatever fruit/nuts you like. I added chocolate to my cookies, but you can omit it for more dried fruit or nuts.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or mor dried fruit)
1 1/4 cups dried cranberries and raisins (or all cranberry, all raisin, a mix of cherries, etc.)
1 1/4 cups nuts (I used a mix of raw, unsalted pistachios, cashews, and almonds)

Method

1. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add the molasses, yogurt, ginger and lemon zest and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture to make a sticky batter (do not overmix). Fold in the oats and half of the dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips. Mix the remaining chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each with some of the reserved chocolate-dried-fruit-and-nut mixture and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the cookies until dark golden but still soft, 10 to 12 minutes; cool on a rack.

Storage Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for up to one month in an airtight container.

Recipe very lightly adapted from Food Network Magazine

Related Recipes

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Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chubbies

Chocolate-Almond-Pretzel-Potato Chip-Confetti Cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

White Chocolate Espresso Cookies

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