White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies

 

Oh-muh-word...these are amazing!  Alaska has some of the most amazing little wild blueberries!  There are patches and patches of them, you just have to know where to go find them.  It's not super hard to find them, but they can be VERY difficult to get to.  Alaska is wild and rugged and very unforgiving.  So if you want what it has to offer, you have to work for it and you have to be smart and safe.  Thankfully, we have some awesome friends who teach us all the things and they took us blueberry picking with them.  You have to be very aware of your surroundings because you're not the only one who is after those blueberries.  Bears are abundant and they're on a mission to gain as much weight as they possibly can during the short Alaskan summer months.  They only have a matter of weeks to bulk up and they loooooove blueberries.  Just like with almost everything else, you never go blueberry picking alone and you always have a couple of different types of protection on you at all times.  It's a lot of fun, the kids always eat way more than they put in the bucket, you're in the middle of the wild Alaskan wilderness where it's quiet and beautiful beyond description.  If you visit us at the end of July-beginning of August, we'll take you!  It's funny because the other thing about blueberry picking here, is EVERYONE is SUPER secretive about where "their spot" is.  We're not so much that way.  We want you to come hang out with us and we'll protect each other from the bears. ;)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

2 cups white chocolate chunks

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (and thawed) or dried but use 1/2 cup

(If you don't have blueberries you can also use Craisins!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until completely incorporated.  Fold in the oats, white chocolate chunks, and berries.  Drop by the tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes (do not over bake!).  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.