Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

These cookies have become a favorite around here.  The smell of cinnamon and coconut in an oatmeal cookie is just amazing, and our guests love the aroma wafting through the house.  After receiving numerous requests for the recipe, I figured we should just go ahead and post it.  This recipe, among many of my new favorites, hails from John Barricelli, Owner of the SoNo Baking Company in Norwalk, CT.  While I have never visited the bakery myself, Barricelli shares some of his yummiest recipes in The Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from My Home Kitchen to Make Year-Round.  As with most cookie recipes, feel free to substitute or add your favorite flavors -- I see toasted almonds and cherries in my future.

3/4c all-purpose flour
1/2t baking soda
1/2t ground cinnamon
1/4t coarse salt
1 1/2c old-fashioned oats
1/2c dried cranberries (plumped in boiling water), drained and patted dry on paper towels
1/2c sweetened flake coconut
1/2c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2c firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2t pure vanilla extract

(c = cup, t = teaspoon)

1. Set oven rack in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the oats, cranberries, and coconut.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a standing mixer fiteed with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl halfway through.  
5. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.  Scrape down the bowl.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low.  Add the flour mixture and beat just to combine.
7. Gently fold in the cranberry mixture with a rubber spatula.
8. Use a tablespoon scoop to portion out the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, placing the batter about two inches apart.  Flatten gently with the palm of your hand.  (Wetting your hand will make the batter not stick).
9. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the edges and bottoms are set and golden brown (and delicious), but the cookies are still a little soft in the centers, 12 to 14 mintues.
10. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire race and let cool for 10 minutes.
11. Remove the cookies to the rack with a spatula and cool completely.