Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Loaded. Oatmeal. Cookies.  Three words, five dozen tasty cookies.  Just a little bit of prep work and a few minutes of baking separates you from oatmeal cookie bliss. The chocolate, cherries, and pecans are the focus of these cookies.  The other ingredients pull them together like team players celebrating after a last minute winning goal.  And really, who wants a plain oatmeal cookie anyway?  These are hearty and satisfying in a way that only oatmeal cookies can be.  So, pull out your mixer, and give them a try!

Notes:
I use Trader Joe’s dark chocolate (a 17.6 ounce bar in a red wrapper) to make these cookies.  If you do purchase a large bar of chocolate to make these cookies, chop the chocolate irregularly so you have both slivers of chocolate and larger chunks.  Alternatively, you can use chocolate chips.  This dough freezes well.  To freeze, prepare the dough, shape it into discs, wrap it twice in plastic wrap, place it in a labeled Ziplock bag, and then put it in the freezer for up 2 months.  Put the frozen dough in the refrigerator to thaw the night before you want to bake the cookies.  Shape into balls and bake as directed.

Recipe adapted from The Essential Baker:  The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients

Ingredients:
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups rolled oats
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups dark chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped

Yields 5-6 dozen cookies, depending on size. 

Assemble Dough:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  Use a mixer to beat the butter on medium speed for about two minutes, or until it is light and fluffy.  Add both types of sugar to the butter and beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Add the egg and the vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture, and beat until combined.  Scrape down the bowl to incorporate the egg.  Add the flour/oat mixture in four stages to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, making sure that the dry ingredients are blended completely after each addition.  Gently stir or beat in the chocolate chunks, tart cherries, and pecans.

Shape and Bake the Dough:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line at least 2 cookie sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper.  Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough.  Roll the dough balls between your palms to smooth out any rough edges.  Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet with 2-inch spacing.  Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are set and the bottoms are beginning to brown.  Remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to rest on the cookie sheets for 2-3 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.   Pin It