Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I saw these cookies at a local gas station one day when I came in get a bottle of water.  The clerk told me these cookies were fantastic so I had to try them out.  I have to agree, they were quite delicious.  The next time I came to the gas station I found they had the cookies again.  This time with an ingredient label on the package.  To my dismay, there weren't strawberries in them at all.  It was some concoction to make strawberry "bits" and a list of ingredients that was crazy long.  The dried strawberries I found at the store are made of  real strawberries and cane juice.  I thought they tasted like fruit roll-ups!  You can also find them online, but watch the ingredients and also make sure they aren't freeze dried.

I set out to make a similar cookie so we can enjoy them at home. This base makes a thicker cookie than they had but are still tasty. You could easily switch out the strawberry bits and white chocolate chips for other delicious add ins and have a whole new flavor of cookie.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies                                                      Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped dried strawberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #132

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Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

My family has recently discovered steel cut oats.  They haven't been run through a bunch of processes other than a quick cut so when they cook they aren't mushy like quick or regular oats.

If you are looking for a warm, nutritious breakfast but don't have the time in the morning, try this oatmeal recipe.  You can throw all of the ingredients into the crock pot before bed, set a timer (in the electric section of the store that will turn your crock pot on and off for you based on how you set it) or program on your crock pot and you're off to sleep.  The oatmeal cooks without effort and in the morning you will have an aroma that smells like baked apple pie filling your kitchen.

This recipe makes plenty and you can save the leftovers in the fridge to heat up for another tasty quick breakfast. I made ours for dessert since I was testing the time needed to cook and wanted to be awake during the process.  After our family of four we devoured our share, there were still 2-3 servings to be re-heated for breakfasts.

Apple Cider Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal                                   Printable Recipe

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups apple cider (or use 3-1/2 cups and leave out the water)

1-1/2 cups water

1 cup steel cut oats ( I used organic Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar (I used raw)

Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts and pure maple syrup