My #MakeItYours Inspired #CookieRecipe using Country Crock Original Buttery Spread

Here at Selena Thinking Out Loud, I enjoy getting in the kitchen to cook my own meals and bake too! Sometimes, I have no idea what I will come up with until I finish the entire meal or dish. I have been lucky so far! Below, you will find my personal review for Country Crock Original buttery spread and my cookie recipe with photos, inspired by their #MakeItYours campaign. Happy Cooking!

My Quick Product Review

I had the opportunity to try a complimentary 15oz. tub of Country Crock Original Buttery Spread from my Influenster custom voxbox. Before baking, I did use the spread on some gluten-free toast for breakfast and on some freshly-baked banana bread. The spread did have a buttery taste and complimented them very well. I did try to cook a batch of pancakes with this spread, but I didn't quite like the taste it gave my pancakes. I think heating the buttery spread in the frying pan changed its flavor, so I will only use it on top of my pancakes, toast, breads, mashed potatoes, other dishes, and of course for baking! I was also happy to see that they are using real ingredients to provide a nice-tasting, overall product. I would recommend that you give this product a try. I picked up my 15 oz. tub from Ralphs grocery store (Kroger).



My #MakeItYours-Inspired Cookie Recipe
Today, I decided to test a cookie recipe, inspired by the #MakeItYours Country Crock campaign. You can join in on the fun, by following the Make It Yours Cookie Recipe on their website, click here. 

In my recipe, I did use the Country Crock Original buttery spread as well. By the way, I was also a little nervous because I didn't know how my cookies would turn out until I tasted them, after they cooled. In the end, I was SUPER happy with the texture of my cookie and its taste! If you decide to make them, let me know how you like them in the comments below!

Dried Apricot and Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients
1 Cup Country Crock Original Spread, tub (cold from the refrigerator)
3/4 Cup and an additional 1/4 Cup Pure Cane Brown Sugar
2 Eggs

Dry Ingredients
3 Cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour by Bob's Red Mill
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
3/4 Tsp Salt
1-1/2 Cups of chopped and cubed Dried Apricots
1-1/2 Cups of Raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Mix the brown sugar, eggs, and Country Crock Original spread in one bowl, until smooth.

3. Then combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl before adding it to the buttery mixture. Your dough should be nice and creamy like this ------>









4. Then add in the chopped and cubed dried apricots and the raisins. (Use more or less. It's up to you) Mix the dried fruit into the cookie dough.

5. Once your batter is ready to go, scoop 1 Tablespoon fulls onto a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. (This will avoid them from sticking to the cookie sheet and breaking)

Tasting Review 
This cookie is SO light and fluffy in texture. It may have been a result of me using the Gluten-free flour, which is a great alternative. I was super-excited about my results. With the amount of brown sugar I used, this cookie is still not too sweet. It would go nicely with a cup of mid-day tea or a grab and go cookie from the cookie jar. I enjoyed the dried apricots and raisin combination I decided to use. They work very nicely together. 

Testing other mix-ins will continue because I have more cookie dough left, so I am going to add chocolate chips to the dried fruit to see how that tastes as well.