Orange and Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Cook's Illustrated, The New Best Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped, toasted almonds
2 tablespoons of minced orange zest

1. Adjust the oven racks to the low and middle positions and heat the oven to 350º. Line 2 large baking sheets and heat the oven to 350º. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

4. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in the oats, orange zest, almonds and dried cranberries.

5. Working with a generous 2 tablespoons of dough each time, roll the dough into 2-inch balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.

6. Bake until the cookies edges turn golden brown, 22-25 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes.

My notes: I thought these cookies were very good and they received lots of praise from the adults of the group (kids not as crazy about them). I might try a bit less orange zest and this seemed to overpower the other flavors - though the other adults disagreed with this and liked the amount of orange flavor.

See Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies for a more traditional oatmeal cookie variation of this recipe.