Trail Mix Cookies

To kick off my challenge of blogging every day for the month, which equals 31 posts in 31 days, I have a great cookie recipe to share. If you want to know more about
NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month just click the link. It is very interesting and I have heard it is quite the challenge, but I am up for it. Look for something new every day this month. Now for the cookies...

The other week my family wanted me to make cookies. I thought to myself ok no problem... well, big problem; they did not want my normal chocolate chip cookies, they wanted something different. I stood there dumbfounded and wondered, "how could they NOT want chocolate chip??" I was definitely puzzled. So, I looked through the cupboards for ingredients and through my recipes for some type of cookie. I found my grandmother's oatmeal cookie recipe and in my cupboards I had cereal (Post Trail Mix Cereal, Vanilla Cranberry to be exact), chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, dried cranberries, couple different kinds of nuts, and then the usual cookie baking stuff that I always have. I do not buy cookies at the store, I always make them. It is more economical than buying store made cookies and they taste better. So again, I thought to myself.."what should I make?" and then it came to me reading the box of cereal.. Trail Mix Cookies! What a brainstorm, I could modify my grandmother's recipe to make it happen, which is exactly what I did. Take a look. (again pretend this picture is not fuzzy since I need a new camera and just look at all the goodness in that cookie, yummy!)



They were very good, except that they get crispy after they cool off but, if you like crispy cookies than these are good. Here is the recipe:

Trail Mix Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened (I recommend using butter)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Trail Mix Crunch Cereal (any kind will do, I used the Vanilla Cranberry since that is what I had on hand at the time)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans since I had the most of those)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (Hershey has a new cinnamon chip and it is very good)
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter or margarine, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs. Mix well. Add half the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Then add remaining flour and mix well. Mix in the cereal, cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, nuts, and cranberries. Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet (I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets) and bake 11-13 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes to set (they may look soft when you take them out), transfer to wire racks. Enjoy!

Notes:
- This might be a good cookie recipe to add some M&Ms to for another trail mix effect.
- You can add oats in place of Trail Mix Cereal
- Any type of dried fruit or raisins can be substituted for cranberries and that will probably be good, just different flavors.

Basically, you just have to mess with this recipe to get the taste you want, or you can make it different every time for a change of flavors. Just depends on what you want to add to it. White chocolate chips or peanut butter chips would probably be good too. I just used what was already in my kitchen. The kids loved these cookies!