Fruit and nut oat cookies

Oat based biscuits and cookies are my favourite, so much so that I try and fight the urge to make them as I can't help but eat them all within hours regardless of the damage done to my waistline. However, if you can control yourself then please try this recipe as they are fantastic.

The base of these cookies, everything but the fruit and nuts, should be the base for many alternative versions, such as ginger or cherry or chocolate, or a combination of all three.

Makes roughly 10 cookies - enough to keep a family happy for a day or two.

Ingredients:

150g softened butter
40g caster sugar
60g muscovado sugar
90g self raising flour
125g porridge oats
100g of raisins, sultanas and chopped glace cherries (or your combination of choice)
50g chopped almonds and macadamia nuts (or your nuts of choice)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
   
2. In a bowl beat the soft butter and the two sugars together until the mixture is fluffy.
   
3. Mix the flour and oats together and then stir in to the butter mixture. Stir well.
   
4. At this point you can add your choice of ingredients, but in this case it is a mixture of fruits and nuts. Again stir well.
   
5. Divide into ten equal portions and roughly form into balls. Place each ball on the baking tray (you may need two trays) and pace in the even. They will resemble cookies after cooking, trust me.
   
6. The cookies will take roughly 15 minutes and you can tell as the edges begin to darken.
   
7. Leave on the baking tray for at least five minutes to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
   

I'd love to hear your alternative cookie versions.