Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies

Eat enough of these muffin tops, and you might get a muffin top! Not really, though, because these guys are actually pretty good for you. Blueberries have all sorts of great health benefits, as does oatmeal. And, perhaps best of all, there are no eggs, so there's that much less fat and cholesterol.

This is a reworking of one of my earlier recipes, the first iteration of which used both fresh and dried blueberries and had a too-cakey texture, for me at least. This time around, I dropped the dried blueberries altogether--they didn't have enough flavor and they were expensive and hard to find--in favor of fresh. (Plus, fresh blueberries were on sale at my grocery store.) I also cut back on the amount of milk, left out the eggs, added ground-up Nilla Wafers, threw in some white chocolate chips, and increased the amount of oatmeal, all of which give this version the cookielike texture I really, really wanted. Not to mention the flavor! The sweet-tart fresh blueberries contrast perfectly with the creamy, smooth sweetness of the white chocolate, and the Nilla Wafers add a great little somethin'-somethin' in the background. And, of course, a final roll in turbinado sugar gives these cookies a perfect crispy/crunchy finish. YUM!

These cookies were inspired by my dad's blueberry muffin recipe, which he adapted from the famous Jordan Marsh muffins. His muffins were loaded with fresh blueberries, were light enough so that you could eat a dozen and still want more, and had sugary, crunchy tops that were the perfect contrast to their soft, moist interiors. This recipe is for Ralphie.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies. Yes, that is a lot of cookies, but you can always freeze some of the baked and cooled cookies for future enjoyment...because you will want to enjoy them again and again and again. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies.)

Creamables	2 sticks butter 2 cups dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	1/2 pint blueberries 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients	4 1/4 cups oatmeal 1 1/2 cups ground-up Nilla Wafer cookies 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 pints blueberries 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping	turbinado sugar

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 pint blueberries, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons white sugar over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, crushing the blueberries until the the mixture is smooth and evenly purple.
2. Remove blueberry mixture from the heat and set aside to cool until Step 4.
   
3. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
4. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla to the cooled blueberry mixture. Whisk together until smooth.
5. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
6. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
7. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
8. Refrigerate the dough for up to an hour.
   
9. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
10. Roll each cookie dough ball in turbinado sugar.
    
11. Place the sugared dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
12. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

Comments

[Lorraine]

These cookies look really delicious! This addition makes it harder for me to pick a favorite.
I'm especially touched by your dedication to your Dad. It's clear he's been an important inspiration.

[WF]

LOVE the cookie - so light and delicious and yum! And as a fellow Mass-hole, I totally thought, "Jordan Marsh muffins!" the second I laid eyes on these beauties. Thanks for the nostalgic flashback :)

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, Lorraine. We promised to make cookies for you--any kind you want. These ones are *really* good, I have to admit.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, "WF." It's so funny you mentioned the Jordan Marsh muffins. (Jawdin Maaahhsh!) We are *sooo* on the same Mass. wavelength!

[Mumma]

This brings back wonderful memories of those Sunday mornings when Dad would get up at the crack of dawn and bake those incredibly delicious blueberry muffins. How good the kitchen smelled and how nice it was to all sit around the table and enjoy these warm, yummy goodies. OCG, you've made your father proud.

[Lorraine]

I'm looking forward to taking you up on your cookie baking offer! Choosing the cookie isn't easy. There are sooo many I'd pick. I think it's a toss up between the german chocolate cake and these blueberry muffin tops. I'll let you decide. Can't wait!!

[Jonnazz]

This is a *great* picture too (no, I didn't take it). It really shows the true texture of these muffin-top-like cookies!

[Sheryle]

As soon as I saw the name of the cookie, I thought of Ralphie's muffins! I remember coming over for them on Sunday mornings. The family sat at the table, ate muffins and talked and I was there, too! (in the purple bath robe!) I look forward to trying the blueberry muffin tops! They sound wonderful. Keep up the good work!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Sheryle. I think I see Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies in my future the next time I come home. Now if I could only figure out Ralphie's recipe for home fries.

[JaySpice]

Looks really yummy. Did you bake all 5 dozen? How do you store leftovers. I am wondering if the dough freezes well.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

H, JaySpice. Yup...I made all 5 dozen. Luckily, I had a people to take the cookies off of my hands. But you could do a couple things: 1) cut the recipe in half or 2) bake the full recipe and freeze the leftover cookies, which will keep well in the freezer for a few weeks. I think that freezing completely baked cookies would work better than freezing the raw, unbaked dough.