Chocolate-Chunk Dried Cranberry-Walnut Cookies
Makes 3 dozen Cookies

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¼ tsp cardamom, ground
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1 cup (7 oz) American Heritage Chocolate, roughly chopped
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (not light brown or white)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, preferably canola
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F. Place racks in middle and upper positions. Line two cookie sheets with parchment, unless using non-stick cookie sheets leave unlined.

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda and salt into a medium size bowl. In a small sized bowl place oats, walnuts, cranberries and Historical chocolate. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add oil, egg and vanilla and combine. Add flour mixture with mixer set to low. Do not over mix. Add nut, fruit and chocolate and mix until just combined. Use rubber spatula to ensure even distribution.

Scoop out two tablespoons of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Place cookie sheets in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Pull out pans and rotate top to bottom and front to back. Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer. Cookies should be lightly browned on edges. Cool cookies on cookie sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Cool to room temperature and enjoy. Cookies can be stored for up to two days. Store cookies in an airtight container to retain freshness.

(Author: Deanna Pucciarelli, Chef and Associate Researcher, Nutrition Department, UC Davis).