Chocolate cherry oatmeal pecan cookies

These cookies are packed with delicious things – toasted pecans, dried cherries, plenty of dark chocolate, and enough oats to seem “healthy.”  They’re also fairly quick to put together.  Of course, you could customize as you like – toasted walnuts or even pistachios, dried cranberries or raisins, etc.  The oats, however, are non-negotiable.

I find that chopped chocolate bars yield the best, melty texture; chocolate chips are more convenient, but they don’t spread as generously as chocolate chunks.  A very dark chocolate (I use 85%) is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the cherries.  Note that I use just a scant 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, measured loosely, without packing it.  This is just-sweet-enough for me, but you could increase to 1 1/2 packed cups of brown sugar if you prefer.

Chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (loosely packed; light brown is a fine substitute)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate chunks.

Beat butter and sugar until combined, about a minute, then beat in egg and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and continue beating, until combined.

Add oat mixture, and stir to incorporate.

Roll dough into golf ball-sized balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Flatten slightly.

Bake one tray at a time, 9 to 12 minutes, until cookies are browned at the edges but still soft in the center.  (For a chewier cookie, bake on the shorter side; for a crispier cookie, bake slightly more.)

Cool cookies on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.