Classic Oat Cherryberry Cookies

From Oatmeal CherryBerry Cookies

Oh, I wish I  had taken a better picture of these babies. I thought I had, but the iPhoto shows me otherwise! Trust me this is not just another oatmeal cookie. It is my new favorite go-to oatmeal cookie recipe. Don't you just love the way the word, cookies, sounds?

Okay, these are the cookies I took to my book club today. I love to surprise my them with baked goods. Most of them do not like overly sweet desserts, so I try to make them semi-sweet sweets.

I made them these classic oat cookies with a twist. I added  1/3 cup of mixed dried cranberries and cherries to the dough. Then, drizzled a touch of white chocolate to some of the cookies, just in case someone did not want the chocolate! There are some out there, you know.  These cookies come out with a delicate sweetness and a perfect outer crisp that is met with a chewy center filled with a hint of tart cherry berry goodness.

Here is the recipe I used from Easy Cookies by Linda Collister that was given to me by Christine from Happy Tummy. 

Ingredients  (Makes 24)
 

1 stick unsalted butter, very soft

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 extra- large egg, beaten (I used a large egg)

1 tbsp of milk ( I used skim)

1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp self- rising flour

1/2 cup of dried fruit (I used cherries and cranberries)

1 1/2 cups coarse oatmeal or rolled oats

Put butter, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a bowl and beat well using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon ( I creamed the butter first. Then, slowly mixed in other wet ingredients a little at a time). Add the flour and oats and mix well with the wooden spoon.

Put heaping teaspoons of dough onto prepared pans, spacing them well apart.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned around the edges (mine took about 12 minutes). 

Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (This keeps them from over browning).

Then drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 5 days or freeze for up to a month.

Variations: At the same time as the flour, add either:

• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, or blueberries)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp apple pie spice, and 2 pinches of ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  

Yeah,  I do not know about the black pepper part, but the rest sound awesome.

Give these a try! They are so good.