Crunchy Jumbles

These are a crispy, chocolatey, cookie that taste as good as the name sounds! My mom used to make these cookies for us when we were kids and I have vivid memories of coming home from school on snowy days and opening the door to the intoxicating aroma of them! Plus,they are very easy to make. Truly! Even if you don't bake much, you can handle these--I promise! And you can add in all sorts of extra good stuff to make them your own.

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These are not a-let-me-impress-you-with-my-baking-skills kind of a cookie.  They're simple, small, homey and comforting and no matter where I bring them, people always love them and request the recipe. Now that we are back-to-school, they are perfect for lunchboxes--not a huge treat--just a little something to enjoy!

These mix up really easily in a stand mixer.  If you're using a hand held mixer, they work fine too, but just note that the batter gets really thick and you will need to probably use a wooden spoon to mix in the rice krispies and chocolate chips.  Also, the original recipe called for raisins, but since none of kids were huge fans of them, my mom always added extra chocolate chips.  I added to the mix (literally) and usually throw in some dried cherries or cranberries--or whatever I have on hand-- for a delicious mix of crunchy and chewy.  No matter what, they are great!

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Nothing goes better with Crunchy Jumbles than a nice cold glass of milk!

Enjoy!

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Crunchy Jumbles

Yield:  About 3 dozen

Prep Time:  10 minutes (plus more for bringing butter to room temperature)

Bake Time:  12-15 minutes

Total Time:  25-30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose, unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups Rice Krispies
• 6 oz chocolate morsels (any kind, use more if you are not going to add the dried fruit)
• 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries or raisins (or whatever you like)

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar till creamy.
4. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
5. On low speed, add in flour mixture and Rice Krispies.  Mixture will be thick.
6. Now add in chocolate chips and if using, dried fruit.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased non-stick baking sheets.
8. Bake for about 7 minutes and then reverse cookie sheets front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking for another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.  
9. Let cookies cool briefly on pan and then remove to a cooling rack.

In my humble opinion, (and my son's) these are best served warm, but they are great the next day too and keep for several days in an airtight container--if there are any left to save!