Cookies and updates

So just to update everyone, I'm not in Cambodia, nor will I be in the forseeable future. Suffice it to say that our bad economy has managed to penetrate even graduate school, long thought to be a safe haven in uncertain financial times. Anyway, I'm trying to move on and enjoy things as they come.

Cookies. I know they make me feel better. I have a boyfriend who loves oatmeal raisin cookies...and I do not. Mostly I resent the raisins--something about their taste is just off-putting in a cookie. I don't like them in anything but the occasional bowl of oatmeal. I do like oatmeal cookies though, or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or oatmeal walnut cookies....so I decided to make half with raisins and half with (drumroll please) cranberries and white chocolate chips. Why drumroll? because it was a ridiculously delicious combination that I have now added to my list of all time best recipes. I got the basic oatmeal raisin recipe from the Martha Stewart website, then added some different spices and of course the cran-chocolate. The recipe is as follows:

• 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 3/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (two for slighly cakier cookies)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• + 3/8 cup raisins
• + 3/8 cup dried cranberries
• + 3/8 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then add vanilla and egg. Gradually add the dry ingredients until combined. Divide the dough in half; to one half, add the raisins (bleck!) and the other half add the cranberries and white chocolate. Chill for an hour (I don't know why this matters, but it seems to make a difference), then bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

The sweetness and tang of the cranberries with the chewiness of the oatmeal and the creaminess of the white chocolate combine to make a wonderfully delectable cookie. So good. Mmmm.