Cruising Cookies

Cookie-licious Treats, the 2011 version

Factoid: 100+ posts since the beginning of In the Galley in April 2009. That number was a surprise, as were the 6000 hits noted in Blogger's statistics report. The recipe index highlights my varying food interests, listing twice as many seafood items as vegetable dishes. I love fruits and vegies, but the index suggests I love fresh seafood, breads, soups and Mexican food even more! 

A double batch of Cruising Cookies, the M/V Rhapsody variation of cowboy cookies, was a good way to celebrate the statistics... as though anyone needs an excuse to bake cookies! I added some ground flax and whole wheat flour to the mix, easing my conscience a bit over the quantities of butter and sugar. Healthy? of course not, they're cookies! But we do love these cookies for their flavor and their versatility. They have served as a dessert, a late-night snack and an occasional early-morning breakfast substitute. You know, the "grab a cookie and dash" routine when you are running behind schedule... or raising the anchor at dawn. 

I usually mix the dough and bake off an entire batch all at once. The supply doesn't last long in our galley, and to misquote Martha, "...that's a good thing." The baked cookies freeze well, but I rarely freeze the finished product. Raw dough freezes well too. It's handy to slice off half a dozen coins from a log of the frozen, raw dough, pop them onto a baking sheet, insert into a cold oven and cook at 350F until done. You can tell when they are done by the light brown color of the tops and the tantalizing aroma wafting through the boat. It's hard to beat warm cookies, fresh from the oven.

 Cruising (Cowboy) Cookies

Yields 2 dozen




1/2 cup white flour


1/4 cup whole wheat flour


1/8 cup ground flax (optional) 

3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder


3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda


3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon


1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt


6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature


6 tablespoons sugar


6 tablespoons brown sugar


1 large egg


3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract


3⁄4 cup rolled oats


1⁄2 cup semisweet chocolate chips


1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped



1⁄2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1⁄2 cup shredded coconut 

1. 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


2. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
3. Sift and mix the flours, flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the butter, sugar and egg mixture and stir until just incorporated. 
4. Mix in the oats, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit and coconut.

 
5. Drop rounded tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto silpat-covered cookie sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges brown slightly. Rotate the baking sheets after the first 10 minutes. 
6. Remove to a baking rack to cool.