CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...with oats, dried cherries & walnuts

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap."

Robert Fulghum

And here's yet another Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to add to the millions doing the rounds in blogosphere. I guess you can't have enough of CCCs, & this recipe was born in an attempt to make a bookmarked recipe off Helene's blog @ La cuisine d'Hélène - Recettes. She had posted these delicious CCC from Doubletree Hotel, & I set off to make them, only to find 3 cups of chocolate chips in the list of ingredients. So what's the big deal, you might think. But here in India, where I guard my chocolate chips more fiercely than many other things in my larder, 3 cups was far too large a quantity to use. My chocolate chips come in from the US or Dubai whenever some good soul comes by, but only in the winter months. I once even got uneven blobs of chocolate chips one summer, after they had been baked on the tarmac in the aircraft in the hot Indian summer, so that was my last summer consignment. The chips we get here are micro-minuscule, little milk chocolate chips, that are nowhere in comparison to dark chips that Nestle, Hershey's, or my fave, Ghirardeli make. So you guys, who can buy bags from Sam's Club, & even melt them in baggies to drizzle & frost, you don't know how LUCKY you are...& you'll never believe how envious I always am!Anyway, I had a bag that my niece had got from Dubai, & used some in these cookies that I made with a cue about 'grinding the oats' Helene's post. I used part oat flour, part wholewheat flour & the rest was all purpose in these CCC. I also snipped in some dried cherries that my friend from the UK had brought in for me....& they were delicious. Was a comforting feeling to know that I had used a portion of 'healthy flour', dried cherries & walnuts too.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...with oats, dried cherries & walnuts
My recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats; ground in coffee grinder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
A pinch of salt
1tsp baking soda
1 cup butter; softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs (medium)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cherries; chopped roughly (do it with an oiled knife
1/2 cup walnuts; chopped

Sift both the flour + wholewheat flour + oat flour with the baking soda & salt. Mix in the chocolate chips, dried cherries & walnuts. Keep aside.

Beat the butter + eggs + sugars + vanilla extract in a deep bowl till well blended (about 1 minute).

Add the flour mix & stir well with spatula/wooden spoon till mixed uniformly.

Drop tsps measures on a non-stick cookie sheet, & bake for 12-15 minutes till golden brown. Remove from oven & cool on racks.

Note: The recipe yields approximately 4 dozen crisp chocolate chip cookies.This recipe is being sent to Original Recipes @ Culinarty for Lore's ongoing event.