Almond Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I couldn’t tell you the last time I whipped up a recipe in five minutes, barely glancing at the recipe, and it actually WORKED.

This was a very last-minute thing, because my sister needed a dessert to take to a church potluck, and I couldn’t believe how much I ended up loving them.  I am somewhat ambivalent on many oatmeal cookies, but with the addition of a hint of almond extract (one of my secret ingredients), these cherry chocolate oatmeal cookies are a little like a Bakewell tart in cookie form, and I ain’t mad at them.

What’s great about this recipe is that it isn’t finicky.  It takes ingredients you almost certainly have on-hand, the dough comes together in literally five minutes, and then it’s just a matter of waiting for it to chill for a bit, then voila…15 minutes of baking later you have soft, crispy, chewy gloriousness.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixer, combine the softened butter and brown sugar with a paddle attachment.  Let it mix for 2 minutes, until fluffy., then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and almond extract.  Add the flour, baking soda, sea salt and baking powder and slowly mix until it’s *just* combined, making sure not to overmix the batter.  Finally ,add the oats, chocolate chips, and cherries and combine.

Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.  Refrigerating is an important step for this.  If you’re pressed for time, even 30 minutes can do a lot.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough (2-3 tablespoons each) onto each baking sheet and sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies just slightly turn a golden brown color on the edges but are still soft and chewy in the middle.

Remove from oven, gently bang the pan on a flat surface (releases air bubbles and makes the texture a bit better), and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough.

These were totally amazing and are going on the regular rotation fo’ sho’!!!

If you like these, you’ll love these other cookies:

• The Best Soft Molasses Cookies in the World
• Brown Butter Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies
• Salted Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

• 8 oz of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract (can just use more vanilla if you don’t have)
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup of dried tart cherries
• Optional:  1 cup of dark chocolate disks, roughly chopped
• Sea salt flakes for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large mixer, combine the softened butter and brown sugar with a paddle attachment.  Let it mix for 2 minutes, until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and almond extract.
4. Then add the flour, baking soda, sea salt and baking powder and slowly mix until it’s *just* combined, making sure not to overmix the batter.
5. Add the oats, chocolate chips, and cherries and combine.
6. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.  Refrigerating is an important step for this.  If you’re pressed for time, even 30 minutes can do a lot.  I wrapped it in plastic wrap, but you could also just cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge.
7. Using a small cookie scoop (I use this one), scoop cookie dough (2-3 tablespoons each) onto each baking sheet and sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies just slightly turn a golden brown color on the edges but are still soft and chewy in the middle.
8. Remove from oven, gently bang the pan on a flat surface (releases air bubbles and makes the texture a bit better), and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking

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