Granola Chocolate Chunker Cookies

These quick  cake-mix cookies combine  all the best sensations - they're a bit crisp, a little soft and chewy, they're full of your choice of  dried fruit  like apricots, cranberries, and raisins, and of course there has to be some chocolate to make them this good. I like to use mixed  dried fruit with pineapple, dates, and papaya.

Preheat oven to 350,  lightly spray cookie sheets .

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine HALF of one  regular -size box yellow cake mix with 1/4 c packed brown sugar, 1/2 c vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix 2 minutes til smooth.

Add the rest of the cake mix, 1-1/2 cups granola, 3/4 c chopped dried fruit and 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips. Mix til blended - this makes a really  stiff batter.   Drop onto cookie sheets by heaping Tablespoons   2" apart.  Bake for 9-14 minutes, until just barely set  in the  center when touched. They will continue to bake a bit after they're out of the oven.  Let cool on cookie sheet  for only 1 minute, then carefully  transfer to racks or newspaper to cool. They'll firm up.

Either I bake way too many cookies at once or just don't have enough racks - I still find myself cooling cookies on sheets of newspaper the way my mom always did.