Caramel apple cookies!

Volunteers Jessica, Crecien, and Louise at the Food Security table at the first annual Renfrew Collingwood Winter Craft Sale.

Thanks to the wonderful volunteers and vendors who made our first winter craft sale a success! Thanks especially to Andrea, Barry, Crecien, Dave, Jessica, Louise, Mary, Maya, Najia, and Olivia, who helped make cookies and cider, prepared and dried apples, cut and tied herbs and flowers, and promoted food security activities to customers.



By popular request, here are our cookie recipes:


Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cup flour
2 3/4 cup old fashioned oats not quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz caramel baking bits
2 cups grated apple

Method
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs. Beat until combined.

2. Measure oatmeal into a food processor, and pulse until ground finely. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda until combined. Set aside.

3. Grate the apple.

4. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Stir in the caramel bits and apples.

5. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Roll the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls. Bake on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, for 10-12 minutes. The sheet should be placed on the upper middle rack. Cool on the pan for 4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

(Adapted from this recipe.)

Apricot-Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
8 ounces softened butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin, grated or pureed
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and pumpkin.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt, apricots, and flour. Stir into pumpkin mixture.

4. Drop cookies by the heaping teaspoonful on to cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.
Remove from oven and place on cooling racks.

(Adapted from this recipe.)