Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Cookies

 

I received the Everything Chocolate cookbook from America's Test Kitchen from my sister-in-law. It has a great collection of chocolate recipes from the classic to the exotic. These simple cookies have everything I like and they are easy to make. The balance between tart dried cherries and dark chocolate is wonderful and I always appreciate an oat-based cookie. If you don't overbake them (easy to do!) these are crisp around the edges with a chewy middle.

Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Makes 18 large cookies
From Everything Chocolate by America's Test Kitchen

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups rolled oats (not quick)

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries

1 cup dark chocolate chunks

12 Tblsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk well.

Stir together all the mix-ins in a second medium-sized bowl: oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.

Use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar together until no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat another 30 seconds or so. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed for another 30 seconds, until well combined. Add the mixi-ns gradually and stir with a spoon.

Using 1/4 cup of dough form a ball and space them 2 1/2" apart on cookie sheets. Press them down slightly with the bottom of a cup to a 1" thickness.

Bake cookies until medium brown with set edges. The centers will be soft and look underdone, after about 16-18 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. They freeze well.