Rick Martinez’s Pantry Party Cookies
These chewy cookies are a total mix-and-match situation, stuffed with granola, nuts, seeds, chocolate, coconut, and dried fruit.
Makes18-20 cookies
Prep40 minutes
Cook36 minutes to 42 minutes
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Cookie emergencies are real. There’s no time to run to the store for 1/4 cup of this or a pinch of that. That’s why I made this cookie using only what was in my house the day I developed this recipe. The butter is always frozen and waiting patiently. I have more sugar than I will ever admit to. There are chocolate bars in the fridge. And I keep nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and granola in the pantry for morning yogurt bowls. So, I pulled everything out and decided what I wanted to eat: chocolate, cranberry, almonds, and coconut. Yum!
Oatmeal seemed boring, so I looked at my granola, and funny enough all the same stuff was in the granola plus more. Since I really like this granola, I thought sure, I’ll put that in too. And the puffed amaranth, which I’m really into at the moment. You probably don’t have any, but I’m sure you have some kind of seed. I like seeds in cookies because of the little specks on top — it adds mystery! And a little extra texture. But, use what you have. All you have to do is swap out your favorite nut, seed, granola, and dried fruit. Since this is all stuff that you already own and like, chances are you’re going to love this cookie.
Tester’s Note
If your pantry is packed with partially filled pouches of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits from a year of stress-baking, you’ve arrived at the right recipe. These bakery-style sweets are full of tasty mix-ins — like an oatmeal raisin cookie that’s had a major glow-up. Coconut flakes, oat-packed granola, and brown sugar give the cookies a satisfying chewy texture, and I prefer to skip the pan-banging step to keep the cookies standing tall and thick. Seeds — I went with chia seeds — add a surprising texture and pretty speckled appearance to the cookies. Make these cookies look picture-perfect by reserving a few pieces of dried fruit and chocolate to press into the top of the dough just before baking. — Patty Catalano, Contributing Editor
Pantry Party Cookies
These chewy cookies are a total mix-and-match situation, stuffed with granola, nuts, seeds, chocolate, coconut, and dried fruit.
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 36 minutes to 42 minutes
Makes 18-20 cookies
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 sticks
(8 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2
large eggs
- 2 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1 cup
granola
- 1 cup
shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup
almonds or your favorite nut, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup
chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 1/2 cup
puffed amaranth, or 1/4 cup sesame, chia or flax seeds
- 1/2 cup
dried cranberries or your favorite dried fruit, chopped if large
- 1 cup
packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoon
Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1 1/4 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
Instructions
Place 2 sticks unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand or with an electric hand mixer). Let the butter and 2 large eggs sit out at room temperature until the butter is softened.
Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Place 1 cup granola, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup toasted and chopped nuts, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup puffed amaranth or 1/4 cup seeds, and 1/2 cup dried fruit in a second medium bowl and stir until evenly incorporated.
Add 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 3/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat on high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until just incorporated. Add the granola mixture and mix on low speed until evenly distributed.
Scoop 1 1/2-ounce portions of the dough (about 3 tablespoons each) and place on the baking sheets, 9 per sheet with at least 2 inches of space between each.
Bake until the cookies are deep golden around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Pull them out of the oven and holding the baking sheet a few inches above a heat and shatterproof surface like the grates of your stove, drop the tray down to lightly flatten the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat baking the remaining cookie dough if needed, reusing the parchment and baking sheets.
Recipe Notes
Storage: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.