Dorie's Raisin Swirl Bread

I had one request when I went home for the holidays...I told my dad we HAD to make Dorie's Raisin Swirl Bread. I have been eying this recipe since I opened the book, but have never gotten around to making it. And since my dad is the bread master, I thought it would be fun to make together. Plus, I knew he would be in because the bread included raisins:)

Dorie's recipe was very easy to follow. I love her step by step instructions...and all of the details she adds. The rising time was the only downfall...only because I was really craving a slice of cinnamony raisin goodness!

The bread was well worth the wait. One slice in and I knew we had a winner. I loved the plump raisins and the cinnamon swirl! The bread was very "cakey" too. A divine sweet treat!

The bread was fine and dandy alone, but the next morning we were feeling adventurous, so we made french toast! The bread soaked up the egg, cinnamon, vanilla mixture quite nicely. We drizzled maple syrup and powdered sugar on top! This was the perfect vacation breakfast! Thanks Dorie!

Oh-I taped another TV segment yesterday! It is airing on Friday on a local channel in Salt Lake City. This time the topic was "Healthy Snacking." I brought in examples of healthy snacks! It was fun!

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's! We really don't have big plans, I guess we are boring! I just hope to stay awake until the clock strikes midnight:) HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Raisin Swirl Bread
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, From My Home to Yours

For the Bread
1 pack active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch
1 1/4 cups just warm to the touch whole milk
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional-we used it!)
Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional-didn't use it)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional-we used it)
3 3/4 to 4 cups flour

For the Swirl
1 tablespoon sugar (we used a bit more)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (we used more)
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional-we didn't use this)
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to a spreadable consistency

To make the bread: Put the yeast in a small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar, and stir in 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir--the yeast may not have dissolved completely and it may not have bubbled, but it should be soft. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 cup milk, the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and mix on low speed for a minute or two. Add the salt, egg and vanilla, if you are using it, as well as the zest and the nutmeg, if you're using them, and mix for a minute. In all likelihood, the mixture will look unpleasantly curdly (it will look even worse when you add the yeast). Add the yeast mixture and beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute more. Turn the mixer off and add 2 3/4 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed just until you work the flour into the liquids--you'll have a sticky mix. If you've got a dough hook, switch to it now. Add another 1 cup flour, increase the mixer speed to medium, and beat the dough or a couple of minutes. IF the dough does not come together and almost clean the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the mixer speed at a medium and knead the dough for about 3 minutes, or until it is smooth and has a lovely buttery sheen. The dough will be very soft, much too soft to knead by hand. Butter a large bowl, turn the dough into the bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm enough to be rolled easily. (At this point, you can instead refrigerate the dough overnight if that is more convenient.)

To make the swirl and shape the loaf: Butter a 9-x-5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together the sugar,cinnamon and cocoa, if you're using it. Check that the raisins are nice and moist; if they're not, steam them for a minute, then dry them well. Put the dough on a large work surface lightly dusted with flour, lightly dust the top of the dough and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches. Gently smear 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the dough--this is most easily done with your fingers. Sprinkle over the sugar mixture and scatter over the raisins. Starting from a short side of the dough, roll the dough up jelly-roll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snugly. Fit the dough into the buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck the ends under the loaf. Cover the pan loosely with wax paper and set in a warm place; let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Getting Ready to Bake: When the dough has almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butte and brush the top of the loaf with the butter. Put the pan on the baking sheet and bake the bread for about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold. Invert the bread and cool to room temperature right up on the rack.

Family Pizza Party

When we were in Illinois we made Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza for dinner. It was so much fun. The whole family got in on the action! My dad makes the best pizza ever! He normally does a regular thin crust pizza, but this time he did his regular AND deep dish! What a treat for us!!

He made the deep dish pizza in his cast iron skillet that he has had forever. It is a family heirloom. It was the perfect dish for the pizza! The dough took four hours to rise, but it was well worth it! So plan ahead when you want to make this style of pizza!

The guys adore their meat, so my dad did an "All Meat, All the Time" pizza...and a veggie for me:) I didn't sample the meat version, but I am guessing it was fantastic since it was gobbled up in no time! The crust was extra thick..it had to be to hold all of the meat, sauce, and cheese! My dad doesn't hold back when it comes to toppings!

If you haven't tried Chicago Deep Dish pizza...either go to Chicago or make this version at home! It is ultra thick and ultra delicious!
















Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Dough

• 4 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 Package Instant Dry Yeast
• About 1 cup of water-add a little at a time until you get the right dough consistency
  

Scald milk. Add butter, sugar and salt. Allow milk mixture to cool to "warm." Add yeast and mix thoroughly.

In a heavy-duty mixer (e.g., KitchenAid), add milk mixture. Slowly add flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a ball. Add water, a little at a time, until the dough combines. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes. Cover and allow dough to rise for 2 hours. Punch down the dough, knead briefly, and allow to rise and additional 2 hours until approximately doubled in bulk.

Sauce

• 1 Can (16 ounces) Tomato Puree
• Salt to taste
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Black pepper
• Sweet basil
• Garlic

Simmer sauce for 1/2 hour.

Cheese

Using a coarse grater, grate mozzarella cheese. I am not sure how much we used, I just know it was a lot! My family likes their cheese!

Toppings

My Dad used Italian sausage. He seasons it with fennel, salt, and pepper. You can use Whatever topping you like. I used mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini for the veggie pizza!

Assembly & Baking

Grease a 10" deep-dish pizza pan or cast iron skillet. Roll the crust to fit the pan. The edges should come to the top of the pan. Take the sliced cheese and layer it on the bottom. Take some of the sauce and spread it on the cheese. Take more of the cheese and spread a layer. Continue, but try to end up with mostly sauce on top. (The cheese will overcook if it's exposed on top.)

Bake 45 minutes at 425 degrees F or until bubbly!

Lavash Crackers

We are finally home! We got back to Utah late on Saturday night. We had a wonderful time in Illinois. We spent a lot of time with the family, it was fun just hanging out. We did a lot of baking, eating, relaxing, watching sports, movies, etc. The vacation went too fast, even though we were there for ten days.

Sorry I have been slacking on my blog posts. This week I will try to update you on some of the tasty things we made while we were in Illinois. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen!

We made Lavash Crackers with my dad. He has made them before, but it was a first for us. The Daring Bakers made these crackers awhile ago...I have been wanting to make them ever since. I am glad we found the time. They were excellent!

You can top the crackers with whatever toppings you like. We kept it simple with kosher salt and paprika. The crackers were thin, crisp, and delicious! We were going to serve them with some hummus, cheese, etc. but we ate them too fast. They were too good plain!!

I was surprised at how easy these were to make. Homemade crackers are so much better than store bought. I am sure we will be making these often!



Lavash Crackers

from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

The key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tb. sugar
1 Tb vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings (we used kosher salt and some paprika)

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit (You can use your Kitchenaid mixer for this step. Use the dough hook and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed). The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough, satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

7. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Here are a couple pictures from Christmas day!!

A Christmas Tradition

I am sharing one of our family traditions today. Every year my dad cuts down our Christmas tree. We live in the middle of nowhere in Illinois, so he goes out into the woods to find our tree. (kind of like Chevy Chase on Christmas vacation.)

My dad always comes up with a classic. One year he cut the top off of a huge tree and the next year he used the bottom. Our family is known for having the best "Charlie Brown" trees. I think the goal is to get the most hideous tree possible. We all love it though! Our tree is never lacking character, that is for sure!

This year Josh got in on the action. My dad let him do the honors and chop down the tree. The tree was missing branches on the back side, but it didn't matter. We stuck it in the corner. It looked perfect!!! Everyone was surprised it had so many branches:) We picked out a winner this year!










We had a big dinner last night and will be with spending time with the family today. We are hoping to see Marley and Me too! Should be a great Christmas! Happy Holidays to all!

Recipe for Cinnamon Rolls

We are having a great time in Illinois, minus the bone chilling weather. Luckily, we have been inside a lot. My dad has been spoiling us with a fire in the fireplace and tasty treats from the hot oven. We love vacation!!

My dad already made us a batch of his famous cinnamon rolls. They were the perfect welcome home treat! This recipe is our families' favorite. It was my grandmother's recipe, but my dad has perfected it over the years. We refer to them as "Parry Rolls." Everyone knows about these rolls, they are the most often requested too. My dad likes to share the recipe, but he would rather just bake up a big batch for anyone and everyone. His are the BEST!!

Make sure you don't scrimp on any of the key ingredients. When you spread the "goods" on the dough, make sure you go crazy....with the butter, brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. My dad never holds back! I know there are some raisin haters out there, but my dad says if you don't like them pick them out! He LOVES his raisins...and so do the rest of us.

My dad said I could share the recipe, so please enjoy our family favorite. He asked me to not include his picture, but I had to show the master at work!! :)

















Parry Rolls

2 pkg yeast, dissolved in 1 cup lukewarm water
6 T of shortening
1 cup sugar
7 cups flour or more as needed (it will take more)
2 cups hot water
2 eggs, beaten
1 T salt

Softened butter
Brown sugar
Raisins
Cinnamon

Add yeast to cup of lukewarm water and sprinkle in a little sugar. Set aside for about five minutes.
Add shortening, sugar, and salt to hot water and cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast and mix again until smooth.
Add in beaten eggs.
Stir in remainder of flour, a little at a time until no more can be mixed in. Remove the mixer attachment and knead by hand, adding flour until dough does not stick to the bowl. Remove from bowl and knead until dough feels satiny and looks smooth.
Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Lightly knead and roll out into rectangular shape. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle on brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. (make sure you use LOTS of brown sugar...you can omit the raisins, but my family loves them, and sprinkle on loads of cinnamon. we never measure but be very generous.)
Roll into one long roll. To cut use a piece of string or floss.
Place on well greased pans and let rise until double in bulk. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until brown-only about 5-7 more minutes.
After cooled frost!

Frosting Recipe
Butter
Vanilla
Powdered sugar
Milk

I am not sure on the amount! My dad just guesses! Whisk until you get the right consistency and frost the rolls!

Recipe for Vegetarian Lentil Soup

I am not a big fan of the winter. I do enjoy the four seasons, but I only want winter for a day. I hate the cold!! The snow is pretty, but only from inside. I hate driving in it, shoveling it, scraping my car, and freezing in it!! Since I live in Utah and grew up in Illinois, there is no hope for me. I will always be cold in the winter, with lots of snow.

The only way to survive is to make warm, comforting foods all winter long. Soup is the best! I love making big pots of soup so we can take it in our lunches or reheat it for a quick dinner. Sometimes we freeze soup too, but Josh is a good eater, so we usually don't have extras:)

I recently made a big pot of vegetarian lentil soup. It was just what I needed to warm up. I love cooking with lentils too. They are a great source of protein and keep me full for a good while. So if you are cold or just hungry for a good soup, try this recipe!

Vegetarian Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound brown lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups), rinsed and picked over
3 cans low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups of water
2 bay leaves
4 fresh thyme sprigs

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth, water, and stir. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Peppermint Bark and Peppermint Bark Cookies

Peppermint bark is a great gift to give out during the holidays. Most people don't think about making it, but it is so easy and TONS cheaper than the store bought stuff. (not mentioning any names, but come on Williams Sonoma, your bark is good, but not worth that much, oops, I mentioned their name.) So try this recipe. It doesn't take long for the bark to set up and when it is done you can just break it into pieces.



I had leftover bark so I decided to bake cookies with the extra pieces. I used a basic chocolate chip recipe and threw in the bark. They were really tasty!! The peppermint bark added a nice crunch and was quite refreshing at the same time! I think I will make these every year!

Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Use Real Butter

1 lb dark chocolate, chopped

1 lb white chocolate, chopped
A drop of peppermint oil
12 peppermint candy canes, crushed (about 1 cup)

Melt the dark chocolate and pour onto a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil or a silpat. Spread evenly to desired thickness. Place in refrigerator to harden. Sift peppermint candy to separate the large chunks from the peppermi

nt sand. Melt the white chocolate. Stir in peppermint oil. Make sure it is only a drop. That stuff is strong!

When cooled, fold the peppermint sand into the white chocolate taking care not to overmix (and getting pink chocolate instead). Remove dark chocolate from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top. Sprinkle the peppermint chunks evenly over the white chocolate and gently press the pieces into the layer. Refrigerate until hardened. Break the bark into pieces.

Peppermint Bark Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 T sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Peppermint Bark-chopped up, about 1 1/2 cups

Sift the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth. (I recommend using a Kitchenaid Mixer for this.) Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add in the chopped up peppermint bark.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat! (I use a silpat, they are the best.) Bake the cookies 2 inches apart for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a minute and transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

In my opinion, you can't fully experience the holidays unless you eat at least one chocolate crinkle cookie:) I tend to indulge in more than just one because I love these cookies! They are the perfect holiday cookie!

Crinkles are easy to make, the batch makes a ton...so they are perfect for gift giving, and they gorgeous! I love how the balls of chocolate are rolled in powdered sugar. When they melt in the oven, the cookies crackle with the perfect snow affect. They remind me of a winter wonderland!

It is important to take these cookies out of the oven on time...I only bake mine for 10 minutes and not a second longer. You want them soft for that nice, brownie texture.







Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Yields: 51 cookies

Adapted from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate

· 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 cup canola oil
· 4 ounces 99% unsweetened chocolate, melted
· 2 cups granulated sugar
· 4 large eggs
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 1 cup confectioners' sugar


Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, chocolate and granulated sugar and blend on medium speed. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. There may be some small clumps of sugar in the batter at this point. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Mix until just incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be sticky.

Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Pour the confectioners' sugar onto a plate or into a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, drop onto the sugar and roll each ball so that all sides are covered. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes for soft, chewy cookies, or 12 minutes for crisp cookies, rotating the pans halfway through baking. The cookies are done when the edges are set (but the tops still have a little give to them). Let cool completely on cooling racks. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Peppermint Crunch Ice Cream with Chocolate Cocoa Nibs

My co-worker, Celsa, is a creative genius. She always comes up with the best gifts to give during the holidays. I get excited every year to see what she is giving out. Well, this year I got in on the action early. She asked for my help, yahoo!

Celsa designed the most amazing ice cream containers, the only problem? She doesn't make ice cream! She knew we had the Cuisinart dream machine so she asked for our assistance. She came over last week and we churned up three batches of peppermint ice cream. We added in peppermint candy and cocoa nibs.

The ice cream was really good, but the container makes it even better. I still can't believe she designed and created all of these little containers. They are too cute!

On a side note, we are headed to Illinois tonight. That is where I grew up, so we are going home for the holidays! We are so excited!! We will be there for 10 days! We will do our best to blog while we are away. My family loves to be in the kitchen so I am sure we will have new recipes to share! And don't worry I have a few posts already scheduled, so come back and visit us soon:)







Peppermint Crunch Ice Cream with Cocoa Nibs

Adapted from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed candy canes or hard peppermint candy
1/2 cup chocolate covered cocoa nibs

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Make sure the sugar and salt completely dissolve. Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Then stir until cool over the ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. One the mixture is thoroughly chilled, add peppermint extract, a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting the mixture after each addition, until you reach the desired level of peppermintiness. Once chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the crushed peppermint candy and cocoa nibs. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for several hours.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries

During the holidays I have to make my oatmeal cookies with white chocolate and dried cranberries. It is a must! They are the perfect cookie for this time of year! The dried cranberries are nice and sweet and go perfectly with the white chocolate chunks. And of course the oatmeal background is fabulous! I included these cookies in my goodie bags. Here is the recipe! The recipe below makes about 2 1/2 dozen. If you need more, go ahead and double it, I did and they turned out great! Enjoy!







Oatmeal White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

½ c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 c. oats
1 cup of dried cranberries-I use Craisins
White chocolate- I chop up good white chocolate, but you can use white chocolate chips too! I use about 1 cup or so. Use more if you like!

In a mixer, beat butter and sugars until smooth. Mix in eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix in slowly to wet ingredients. Add your oats, Craisins, and white chocolate.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes! Don’t let them get too done…they are better when they are soft!