Baked Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies

Recently (as in the past 6 months or so) I've been sort of obsessed with oatmeal cookies. I think it started when I heard that Mother's Cookies were no longer. Mother's makes my favorite oatmeal cookies, can you believe it? I like plain oatmeal cookies, not oatmeal raisin, and I don't really care about the crisp-chewy factor but there's a certain butter-spice-sweet ratio that has to work for me and Mothers oatmeal cookies are my standard for judging an oatmeal cookie's flavor. Of course, Mother's is back in business so I don't really have to worry, but with all of the baking that goes on in the Singleton's kitchen, I never buy cookies at the store. So, I've been on a quest to find the perfect oatmeal cookie. If you read this blog, you're unaware of this pursuit, because as yet I haven't found a cookie worth blogging about. I have had some disasters that were totally blog worthy but my inner Stepford wife prevented me from documenting them. There's just something about scraping cookies off of a silpat (seriously, these cookies stuck to a silpat) into the trashcan that really sours my mood and dulls my usual sense of humor. But, if you fall off your horse, get right back in the saddle and these cookies from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking looked like a great oatmeal cookie to try.

The forward to this recipe states that it's a reinvention of the classic oatmeal cookie with dried cherries in place of the raisins. Well, that's one mark in the plus column for me. Anyone who decides to kill the raisins in favor of cherries receives my respect. I love dried cherries and I had quite a few to use up so my fate with this recipe was sealed. It's a fairly standard recipe but the guys at Baked subscribe to the aging of cookie dough method -- this dough is mixed and then it rests for 6 hours. Hey, if it works for the New York Times cookies I don't know why it wouldn't work for this one. It calls for chopped, toasted walnuts and normally I am not a fan of nuts in my cookies but, in the spirit of being true to the recipe, I added them. They're not bad, but I think I like my cookies more sans nuts. I gave most of these cookies away, but the cookies that I tried, I liked. Now, they're not the oatmeal cookie that I'm looking for, so my quest continues. If you have a great recipe I'd love to try it!! My dad loved these . . . my aunt asked me if they were power bar cookies, not exactly the response that I was looking for. The resting time for the dough does make them chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, plus the cherries and nuts may make for an energy bar type cookie?


Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup (8 oz) dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars togehter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, on at a time, beating until each one is incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.

Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, add the oats, and beat until just combined. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the cherries and walnuts.

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. With the palm of your hand, gently press each cookie down so it forms a tall disk shape. Do not press it flat. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies begin to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely (although they're also delicious warm). The cookies can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.