Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie....My Way!

(These cookies have the bottoms dipped in chocolate and drizzled with white and dark chocolate...my favorite!)
(with a drizzle of chocolate...)
(without any chocolate...)

Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie....My Way! We have new neighbors, so I thought I would bake some cookies to welcome them....and since I haven't shared a Christmas cookie, yet:)....here is one of my new favorites. I just knew I wanted to make the Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookies ever since I came across them on the MGCC cooking blog... Have you ever had them at Starbucks?...well, I haven't. But,with a name like that, they had to be good. The original recipe can be found here ...direct from Starbucks! ...they no longer show it on their site. Now, I like that they are giving their recipe out for the home cook to try:)! So, I made them all right...Ok, I had to change the recipe just a little. I did not have dark raisins, neither did I have dark brown sugar...and I wasn't about to go out in the -10 degs to buy some. Of course, I substituted with what I had around the house...macadamia nuts and medium colored brown sugar. I kind of liked the idea of taking out one of the dried raisins and bringing in some sort of nut for crunch...I like the various textures, chewy and crunchy at the same time. The original recipe makes the cookies bigger...I opted to make mine smaller. But, I couldn't leave well enough alone and dipped/drizzled some with chocolate. You know, I think a good oatmeal cookie should have some sort of dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. To me, that is the ultimate oatmeal cookie! I wanted to bring the cookies up a notch, and instead of putting chocolate chunks in the batter, I dipped them in the chocolate and drizzled a bit more chocolate on top...making the cookies look a bit more elegant. I think these cookies are a keeper! I liked them. Very much. Do feel free to stick to the original ...enjoy.

You will need: adapted from Starbucks
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not the quick cooking ones)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark raisins* (I used macadamia nuts instead)
1/4 cup golden raisins*
1/4 cup dried cranberries*
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ( try adding some orange extract...)

* try varying the dried fruit

FOR TOPPINGS:
4 TBS cranberries*
4 TBS golden raisins*

4 TBS dark raisins (I used macadamia nuts instead*)

* (since I made my cookies smaller, I used a bit less)

ADDITIONAL:

dipping chocolate, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Blend together the oats, flour, baking soda and powder, a pinch of salt. Add the dried fruit and/or nuts, if using. Set aside.

With different dried fruit.

2. In a different bowl, combine together the dried fruits and/or macadamia nuts....reserved for the topping. Set aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy 4-5 minutes. Add in the egg, cinnamon, and the vanilla. Beat until well blended.

4. Gradually add the oat mixture. Beat together until well blended.

5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls(...I made mine smaller and made them about 1 TBS), two inches apart from each other, onto a baking sheet. Use parchment paper for best results.

6. Place a teaspoon of the raisins and nuts for topping onto each cookie....that is, if you are making the bigger cookies. Because I made mine smaller, I just added a few and didn't measure it....just make sure they are slightly pushed in the dough, otherwise the raisins/nuts will fall of as they bake. You can flatten the cookies a bit if you want.

7. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, but still nice and soft, between 12 - 16 minutes. Now mine took about 9-10 minutes... I did make mine smaller about 1 TBS.

Check them... you want them to be soft... ensuring that they will be moist and chewy. Every oven is different, that is why I always check before the listed time.

8. Cool for five minutes and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

IF YOU WANT TO DIP AND GLAZE THE COOKIES IN CHOCOLATE...

1. Take some melted chocolate and dip the bottom of the cookie to cover completely. OR, you can do what I do, and use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate on the cookie.

2. Place on the bottom of a cookie sheet pan, that has been covered smoothly with cling film(wrap). I like to cover it with the plastic wrap because the chocolate always takes on a shiny sheen.

3. Drizzle the top with melted chocolate ...I like to dip my spoon in the fluid-like melted chocolate and just drizzle it all over. Do the same with the white... You could, however place the melted chocolate in a plastic bag and cut a small hole to drizzle. Let the chocolate harden completely on the cookie, before removing them from the plastic lined sheet pan.