Cranberry and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is delicious and tastes healthy!  One of my daughters loves these cookies (Stella, 2 years old), and one doesn't (Marina 4 years old).  The one who doesn't is more of a cupcake/chocolate kinda girl.  She would prefer to have plain chocolate with no bread.  I love these cookies personally, as they are sweet, yet they have great ingredients: whole oats, cranberries, and more. The cookies are just slightly crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside.  Soft . . .
 
Recipe adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter, softened
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup cranberries or raisins (or both)
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

The key to this recipe is to refrigerate the cookie dough after making it for 1 hour plus. I made the cookies into balls and then froze the balls in a plastic bag for an hour, then placed them on a buttered cookie sheet.  I made small-size cookies and they took about 12 minutes to cook.  Watch your cookies carefully as they cook quickly!  Let cool, then remove from cookie sheet.  

Cranberries and walnuts: the signature ingredients!  

You can also use raisins, which are excellent in the recipe as well.

It's springtime! Hyacinths are coming up in the garden.  I'm having fun photographing different settings