Santa's Stockings
Festive oatmeal cookies, studded with dried cranberries and chopped almonds, shaped and decorated liked holiday stockings.
Recipe Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2-1/2 cups Quaker® Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (optional)
Decorating icing
Semisweet chocolate pieces
Candy-coated chocolate pieces
Cooking Directions:
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease two cookie sheets.
- Beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add egg, milk and almond extract; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, dried cherries and almonds; mix well. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. With moistened hands, pat dough onto prepared cookie sheets into 1/4-inch thick holiday shapes such as stockings, Christmas trees or candy canes.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack with wide spatula or pancake turner. Cool completely.
- Decorate cookies as desired.
Makes about 4 dozen.
For Gift Giving: Wrap decorated cookies individually in plastic wrap. Pack each cookie in separate gift bag filled with crumpled tissue paper in holiday colors.
Variation: For easy drop cookies, heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Follow recipe as directed above except drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of The Quaker Oats Company.