White Chocolate Chip and Craisin Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

My mother and I are huge fans of oatmeal raisin cookies.  I've never made them before; so I did my research and stumbled upon the Barefoot Contessa's "Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies" recipe.  This is a complex recipe, but it's worth it.  I made a few changes to Ina's recipe, but mine is very similar to hers.  The cooking time depends on how big your ice cream scoop is; so be sure to monitor your cookies after 14 minutes!  After 20 minutes, I made exactly 17 cookies.  Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip and Craisin Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
Ina Garten's original recipe can be found HERE (courtesy of Food Network).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup Craisins
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Then, chop very coarsely.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Next, add the eggs and vanilla to the mixture and beat together.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  
5. Using the electric mixer, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until combined.
6. Next, use a spatula or wooden spoon to add the oats, raisins, pecans, and white chocolate chips to the mixture.  (Warning: It may be necessary to use your hands to mix everything together.)
7. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  Flatten each mound slightly with a damp hand.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.