Cookie recipes are easy; it’s basically cream, mix well, and then fold gingerly. With that formula, you can make most cookies. It’s the ingredients that make it special. In the case of what I am calling the BEST OATMEAL COOKIES EVER, it’s the high quality ingredients as well as the special additions. The cranberry and dark chocolate are not only delicious and a delicious combinations, but are filled with antioxidants, so that you can say these are sort of healthy for you. And the coconut is the super-secret special addition that adds an interesting rounded flavor that just works. Intrigued? Well it will only take you a few short minutes to have the BEST OATMEAL COOKIES EVER!

And as an EXTRA SPECIAL TREAT, I made my first video ever all about these lovely cookies. I'm proud of this video despite its shortcomings, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. Is it perfect, no, but is it mine? Yes. So please take a look or just scroll down to the recipe that follows.

The Recipe

Yield: 28-30 cookies | Prep time: 10-15 mins | Bake time: 12-14 mins.

The Ingredients

¾ c. softened butter
¾ c. brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. cardamom
¼ t. cloves
1 c. flour
3 c. oats
¾ c. dark chocolate chips
¾ c. dried cranberries
½ c. shredded coconut

The Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until very light and creamy.

Crack the eggs into the bowl along with the vanilla and then mix well. Add the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. Fold in gingerly until it is just mixed. Don’t overmix because then the cookies will be tough, not tender. Finally, carefully mix in the chocolate, cranberries, and coconut until they are evenly distributed, but once again take care not to mix it too much.

Drop tablespoon size amounts of the cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. They do not spread too much in the oven, so you will get pretty chunky cookies. If you want thinner cookies, I suggest shaping them into disks before you put them on the cookie sheet.Bake for 12-14 minutes until they are golden brown. Transfer them to a rack to cool, but you can always eat them a little bit warm.