Oh, are these good cookies! I made them this weekend with N and C. For the children, I only used oats and chocolate chips, for me, I used oats, walnuts, chocolate chips and the dried cherries. I’m not making the ones with cherries for awhile –they were just that good. I do have summer chothes that I want to fit into this year, after all. 🙂

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. table salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats (I used quick cooking instead)
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I used walnuts)
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped coarse
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks about the size of chocolate chips (I used a scant 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips)
12 T. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, preferably dark(I used 1 cup dark,1/2 cup light brown)
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract

1. Preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.
4. In standing mixer fittted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lunps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape doen sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.
5. Roll 1/4 cup dough between palms until 2 inches in diameter; stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball to 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 12 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Do not overbake.
6. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wore rack 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Yum! We are taking these to school this week for teacher appreciation. The recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2005.

Enjoy.