chocolate & cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies

You know how there are those little details you know about all your close friends and family? One of those details that all my friends and family know about me is I love cinnamon, like a lot. So when I discovered cinnamon chips, I was beyond excited. After searching the baking aisles of countless grocery stores I finally found them in the clearance section one day. I bought all the bags they had and decided to save them for a special occasion. I hate when I do that, I buy something I love and then wait to use it for a 'special occasion.' When will I learn that every day is a special occasion? So I dug these cinnamon chips out of my pantry and baked a fresh batch of oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and cinnamon chips. Crispy edges, a chewy center and cinnamon chips make this cookie stand out from the rest. If you are lucky enough to find cinnamon chips at your grocery store these cookies are perfect for any 'special occasion.'

Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

makes 30 large cookies 

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 3/4 c. quick-cooking oats

1 c. cinnamon chips

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

In a large bowl, beat together butter, shortening and both sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Then add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Then stir in oats and once combined, stir in cinnamon chips and chocolate chips. Bake large cookies for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden. 

berry crisp

I took a mini vacation with my boyfriend this past weekend to Charleston, SC. I love Charleston for so many reasons and one of them is the berry cobbler at Kaminsky's on Market St. My absolute favorite dessert is berry crisp and every time I bake a berry crisp or cobbler I compare it to Kaminsky's. Served in the bowl that it was baked in, it mixes blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with a buttery topping and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It has taken years to find a recipe that is as a good as the Kaminsky's berry cobbler, much less better. This recipe is very similar but the pie crust base paired with a blackberry, raspberry, blueberry filling and crispy, buttery oat topping make this delicious dessert even better than Kaminsky's!

Berry Crisp
makes one pie sized crisp or 8 ramekins

1 refrigerated pie crust

for the berry filling:
5 c. berries
1/8 c. cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c.- 1 c. sugar, depending how sweet your berries are

for the crispy topping:
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. oats
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375°F. 


Line each ramekin with 1/8 of pie crust dough. For the berry filling, mix together berries, cornstarch, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Let the berry mixture sit for at least an hour so the berries get a good sugary coating. Spread berry mixture evenly between the 8 ramekins (leaving about 1/2 inch for the topping). For the topping, mix together the sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon and butter until combined. Drop spoonfuls of the topping on top of the berry mixture and bake pie size for 40- 50 minutes and ramekin sized for 20-30 minutes or until the edges start bubbling. Serve with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream.