Whenever I see some kind of chocolate I’ve not tried before, I usually find some justification for buying it, especially if I can bake with it. Recently, I found Schokinag’s semi-sweet chocolate baking chunks and knew that I had to have them. As much as I use chocolate chips, I knew that they would be put to good use.
Of course, the first test was a simple taste test. Quinn and I both gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up. Then, I started trying to think of just the thing to bake using them. While I flipped through shelves of cookbooks and countless bookmarked recipes, Quinn took the simple approach of unfolding the enclosed recipes and quickly pointed out his recipe choice.
I’ll admit that I probably wouldn’t have picked out this recipe on my own. While I love oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies, the dried cherry component just didn’t appeal to me. However, I have to say that after sampling the finished product, I was extremely glad I made them.
I love the chewiness that oats give to a cookie. The merits of chocolate really need no explanation here. As for the cherries, I was really surprised at how much I liked them. They add a nice tartness to counterbalance all the chocolate. Although I don’t think I’d eat them on their own, their presence in these cookies is just simply delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or line baking sheets.
Beat butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Stir in oats, cherries, and chocolate.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottom edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
These may also be made into bar cookies. Press the dough into a lightly greased 13″x 9″ baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Schokinag.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Omg, those look DELISH.
I must make em!
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:11 am
These look so good! I’ve never seen dried cherries before, are they hard to find?
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 am
W O W ! ! !
My husband is currently obsessing over the new Diet Dr Pepper Chocolate Cherry soda and was just saying how I should make him some cookies. I think he would love these! I might try with semi-sweet chocolate, he isn’t a big dark chocolate fan.
These look like pure yumminess.
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:30 am
WOW! That pops right out of the screen . making me want to take a huge bite. I love cherries and chocolate but pairing them in an oatmeal cookie would never have crossed my mind!
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 am
I have been looking for an unusual oatmeal cookie recipe for a few weeks and now I can finally stop. These look really good! Beautiful photos too.
Just curious but where did you find dried cherries? And were they sweetened?
Thank you for sharing!
You’re officially added to my RSS feed!
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 am
I like a good chewy cookie with chocolate chunks and I think this one falls under that category. I love your photos. They really make me hungry!
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:22 am
Nice! Completely delicious looking
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
These look delicious! I’ve made something similar, with chopped almonds; the combination of dried cherries, dark chocolate, and oatmeal is killer…now I’m craving them again! I love that top picture – beautiful!
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 am
I can’t believe the cherries would have made you think twice about making these, they’re the main draw for me! They look great!
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
I wouldn’ t necessarily have thought “oohh yum cherries!” but after reading your post, they seem like a good addition. Plus that picture is totally drool-worthy.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
the combination sounds like a winner to me! And you really have a gift in photography. I can’t never take turn my cookies photos into something so…..desirable.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Scatteredmom, I hope you like them!
Chibiuniverse, I found the dried cherries next to the raisins at my grocery store. They actually had many different dried fruits.
Michelle, I haven’t tried the chocolate cherry Dr Pepper. But, I bet your husband would like these cookies if he likes that combination.
Meeta, I probably wouldn’t have made these without Quinn’s urging, but they are so good.
Thanks, Julia! Look for the cherries next to the raisins. Yes, I believe they were sweetened. They still have quite a tart kick, though.
Aran, thank you so much!
Thanks, RecipeGirl!
Amy, your version sounds delicious. I bet those almonds were a great addition.
Brilynn, to each his own, I suppose. I am a dried cherry convert now.
Thanks, Amanda. These cookies made a dried cherry believer out of me!
Mandy, thank you so much!
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Absolutely delicious looking cookies! You take excellent photos btw!
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Ingredients sound perfect! This recipe also has all brown sugar (& not as much sugar as a usual cookie recipe) which I like the flavor of better. Have only been able to find the sweetened dried cherries in local markets…I’m off to purchase. Drool-worthy photo, too!
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Thanks, Priscilla!
JEP, I am also a huge fan of brown sugar. Hope you find the dried cherries!
February 23rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
This cookie looks & sounds yummy. I’m a huge fan of dried cherries, dried cranberries and other varieties of mixed, dried fruits. I love adding them to salads (especially the dried cherries!) and bet you could play with this recipe, adding different types of dried fruits to the mix in order to change up the flavor and keep it interesting. Different dried fruits have varying levels of sugar and sweetness, so if you experiment, you might want to tweak the other amounts of sugar in the recipe to compensate for their extra sweetness (or lack there-of.)
February 24th, 2008 at 2:20 am
I want to try these special cookies.I’ll tell you when.
February 24th, 2008 at 9:46 am
oh my god all your cookie photos look outrageously delicious!!! yummy
February 24th, 2008 at 10:21 am
These look wonderful, a must try.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Cork & Feast, you’re so right. I think you could substitute just about any kind of dried fruit.
Francesca, I hope you enjoy them!
Thanks, dhanggit!
noble pig, let me know what you think if you make them.
February 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
These look awesome. It’s funny, after all these years of eating raisins, I’ve never seen dried cherries before! lol
I’m definitely going to give this recipe a shot.
February 25th, 2008 at 3:10 am
Nammy!!!!
I would gladly have one or two now next to the coffee I am going to grab.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:54 am
These are sinful, Jen! I have never tried dried cherries, but I love the tart/sweet combination.
February 25th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Marq, this was my first go with dried cherries. I’m not a raisin fan at all, but I do like other dried fruits.
Francesco, I’m not a coffee drinker, but I would imagine these would go nicely with some.
Thanks, Patricia! The tart and sweet sort of balance each other out.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Hi Jennifer! I know you have a lot of readers and you have probably been tagged for a meme before but I’m tagging you again. I hope it’s ok!!!
February 26th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I am a new addict of the dried cheeries or cranberries in chocolate chip coookies. I was not convinced until B. urged me to make them and then I got hooked. I’ll try this recipe this weekend!
February 26th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Thanks, Aran.
Tartelette, I hope you like the cookies!
February 26th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
i made these tonight but i used cherry flavored craisins. maybe i should try to find real dried cherries because the cherry flavored craisins were definitely gross. the cookies would be fantastic with just the chocolate chips alone, with the only change to the recipe being to omit the cherry craisins. or substitute raisins for the cherries, that would be better, too. just my opinion.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I made these for another co-workers birthday and they turned out great. I subbed cranberries for cherries as the store was out, and there was no need for a change to the sugar levels that I could tell, they taste perfect. I did grate a bit of the chocolate so the cookies have chunks and a thorough chocolate hint. I love the way they bake up and keep their shape. Another very good recipe.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
oh my goodness… YUM!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Eh, I’ve not tried the cherry flavored craisins. Not sure I’d want to, actually. I’m sure that any kind of dried fruit would work, depending on your preference.
Michelle, I’m glad you liked them. I bet those cranberries were delicious!
Katy, that just about sums it up!
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
This cookies look wonderful! I’ve been visiting your site for quite awhile now. I am in love with your photography (and your girl scout cookie recipes lol).
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Crap, wrong blog! I swore the girl scout cookies were on here. Now I made a fool of myself and can’t even delete my comment. Still, I love your photography!
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Carla, don’t worry about it! Thanks!
March 7th, 2008 at 8:20 am
A friend of mine at work made these (she loves your blog, too) She brought me one to taste and they were really yummy. It’s a good thing she only had a few left. I think I would have eaten the whole batch.
March 7th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I’m so glad you liked them, Bakerella! They’re a bit different, but I’m so glad I tried them.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I just ruined another keyboard with drool. Where do I send the bill?
March 12th, 2008 at 10:46 am
furiousball, thanks for this morning’s first laugh!
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Made these this evening for Easter. They turned out perfect. They are sooooo delish!!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Glad you like them, Kim! Happy Easter!
June 5th, 2008 at 6:36 am
These are my husband’s new all-time favorite cookie. I make the dough as-is, then freeze chunks of it on a cookie sheet (and then put them into a ziploc when they’re frozen). Then, when he wants a few, I put them in a 400 oven and bake! They’re SO good! (And if you live near an Aldi, dried cherries aren’t very expensive there.) Thanks Jennifer!
June 5th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Maegan, I’m glad they were a hit!
June 13th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I added a dash of cloves, a bit of dark brown sugar, some regular sugar, and a tbsp or two of butter flavored shortening and my co-workers can’t stop grabbing them. They loved them! I must admit that the cherry adds some zing.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Becca, I’m glad they were a hit! Your additions sound like great ideas.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I just finished making these…very good…however they didn’t spread for me. But a lot of cookies do not, I actually do not know why it really is a strange phenomena I think my oven is plotting a gainst me…however my second time I lessened the amount of flour and outs and put 1/4 c. White Granulate sugar 3/4 c. Brown and substitute 1/4 c. Shortening and 1 1/4 t. Baking Soda …it worked for me I ALWAYs doctor my cookie recipes to make them spread…..does anybody know why? Any way awesome recipe = )
April 6th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Thanks for all the recipes. These cookies turned out great! I used craisins and semi-sweet chips since they were in the house…I look forward to the cherries (they are just so expensive~ and hard not to eat just on their own!).
December 25th, 2009 at 4:40 am
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
May 7th, 2010 at 4:20 am
Hi! I just came across this post when I was looking for a different kind of oatmeal cookie. These definitely caught my eye! I ran out to the store to get some dried cherries and whipped a batch up last night! My hubby could not stop eating them! They were such a treat! I love the combo of the sweetness and tartness! These will definitely become a new staple in our house!
Thanks for posting!
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:55 am
Just acquired some beautiful dried cherries. THIS is the recipe I will be making. They look stunning!
August 28th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Just got done making these-WOW~ Definitely going on my cookie exchange for this holiday.Thanks!
June 16th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
I made this recipe as a bar cookie in a 13×9 pan and they were absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make them again!
July 3rd, 2012 at 6:58 am
WOW!! I made these just now for the first time and they turned out AMAZING! I was hesitant to bake these at first- as I always am when it comes to a new cookie recipe- especially since I’ve been trying to make the perfect chewy and gooey oatmeal cookie for a long time. This is it. I’m jotting down this recipe now into my recipe box. Thank you so much!!
April 20th, 2013 at 6:31 pm
These are quite delicious! My boyfriend requested an oatmeal cookie and came across this recipe. I used semi-sweet morsels and they are just as yummy. He approves and we think that the cherry makes an awesome addition. Thanks for the recipe