RECIPE: The cherry is the cherry on top of this delicious cookie
Dried fruit is versatile, accessible and flavorful. It can be added to savory or sweet dishes. It lasts indefinitely in the pantry, adds pizazz to cookies and cakes without breaking the bank, and happens to be a nice little healthy snack food when hunger strikes.
There are a lot of baked goods recipes that call for dried cranberries and raisins, but the dried cherry is one of the unsung fruits. Its slightly chunky texture and sweet-tart flavor profile make it a great addition to a crave-able cookie.
For this recipe, you want to make sure your chocolate-butter mixture is barely warm to the touch before adding it to your egg-sugar mixture, or else you’ll get cookies that spread.
Dried Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- 130 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 113 grams (8 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
- 25 grams (scant 3 1/2 tablespoons) cocoa powder
- 6 ounces (¾ cup) chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips, divided
- 1 egg
- 100 grams (½ cup) dark brown sugar
- 54 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 8 ounces (1 cup) dried unsweetened cherries
- 60 grams (¾ cup) old-fashioned oats
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa and 1 ounce (¼ cup) of the chopped chocolate, then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool the chocolate-butter mixture on the counter for about 20 minutes, until barely warm to the touch. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the vanilla, then slowly pour in the chocolate-butter mixture. Increase to medium speed and mix until thoroughly combined, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Reduce the mixer speed to low again, add the flour mixture, then continue to mix on low until just combined, about 30 seconds. Using a silicone spatula, stir in the remaining chopped chocolate, cherries, and oats until incorporated.
- Scoop cookies using a 2-inch scoop onto the prepared sheets. Freeze for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, until golden brown on the outsides and puffed up in the middle.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cookie: 213 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 2 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 213 milligrams sodium.Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
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