Maple Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smoothly blended- about 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla; mix until blended. Mix in the dry ingredients until moist. Mix in the oats and cranberries until well combined.  Refrigerate the dough until a bit firm (a couple of hours or overnight).  Refrigeration is optional, but I think the cookies maintain a better shape when the dough is refrigerated.

4. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 2-inches apart - or you can roll them into balls. Sprinkle or dip in coarse sugar on top of each cookie, if desired.  Push a few additional dried cranberries into the top of each ball of dough to create a prettier outcome in the baked cookies.

5. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and the bottoms are lightly browned- 10 to 12 minutes.

6. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.  Keep stored in a covered container- they are fine at room temperature for up to 3 days (or freeze them to thaw later for munching).