Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Short answer: Dried cherry oatmeal cookies are chewy brown sugar oatmeal cookies loaded with dried tart cherries and a touch of cinnamon, with optional white chocolate chips. The dough comes together in one bowl, bakes at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes, and makes about 4 dozen cookies.

If you grew up in Northern Michigan, there was a good chance a tin of these was sitting on the counter. Tart cherries swap in for raisins and give every bite a bright, tangy chew that balances the brown sugar. They are the easiest way to put Michigan cherries in a cookie jar.

At a glance

• Prep time: 15 minutes

• Bake time: 9 to 11 minutes per batch

• Makes: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• 1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries

• 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugars. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

3. Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and mix on low just until no flour streaks remain.

4. Fold in the oats and cherries. Stir in the oats, dried cherries and white chocolate chips, if using, with a sturdy spatula.

5. Scoop. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

6. Bake. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look slightly underdone. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

Tips

• Pull them early. The centers finish setting as they cool. Overbaked oatmeal cookies turn dry and crumbly.

• Chill for thicker cookies. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm or you like a thicker cookie.

• Chop large cherries. If your dried cherries are large, give them a rough chop so every cookie gets a few.

• Swap the add-in. Dark chocolate chips or chopped toasted pecans are good in place of white chocolate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use quick oats?

Yes, but the cookies will be softer and spread less with less chew. Old-fashioned oats give the best texture.

How do I store dried cherry oatmeal cookies?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a sheet pan, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.

Can I use sweet dried cherries instead of tart?

Yes. The cookies will be sweeter, so you may want to skip the white chocolate.

Want more? Browse all our cherry recipes or get the free cherry cookbook.

About the author: Andy LaPointe founded NationalCherryMonth.com and co-founded Traverse Bay Farms, a family-owned Northern Michigan tart cherry company, in 2001.