Yesterday my family and I had the pleasure of attending our neighborhood's National Night Out. It's an annual event that allows you to meet your neighbors, the local fire and police department, and have your kids get hyped up on cookies, bounce houses, and clown tricks dangerously close to their school night bedtime.
There were kids galore and plenty of SAHMs like me that I was like a kid in a candy store with so many options for playdates. I probably came off as a little too excited when I introduced myself to a few new faces but what can I say, I'm ready to find a sense of community.
To add a bit of healthy competition to the mix, us neighbors got to put our whisks and oven mitts to the test with a Cookie Baking Contest. As Rachel Ray would say "How cool is that". Alas I did not win but my husband thinks these cookies are award winning, probably because he helped invent them. We wanted a seasonal yet Texan charm to a standard chocolate chip cookie so we created a Dark Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookie. They were delish. The crunch of the pecan mixed with a hidden essence of cinnamon and nutmeg complement the tartness of the cranberries and subtle sweetness of the cacao. Next time I'll add a bit more chocolate and some rolled oats but the recipe below is a champion in itself.
Baking and new friends, I think I'm going to like this neighborhood.
Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Pecan Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar packed
2tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
8oz 60% Cacao Dark Chocolate Chips (next time I'll add the full 10oz bag)
3/4 Pecans
4oz of Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup rolled oats if using
Preheat oven to 375. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Set aside. Cream the butter and both sugars in a larger size bowl with a hand mixture on medium speed. Add vanilla and eggs to the creamed mixture on at a time, until blended.
Slowly add dry mixture to the sugar mixture. Fold in chocolate, cranberries, pecans (and rolled oats if using). Use a rounded tablespoon and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 9 minutes until golden browned.
