Oatmeal Cookies with Toasted Pecans and Dried Cherries

These beauties are the Lackey family's favorite cookies! They are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Toasting the pecans before mixing them into the dough is a game-changer. Chopped dried cherries add a bit of tartness that you never knew an oatmeal cookie needed.

Double the recipe. You'll be glad you did. Pro tip: If you choose to double the recipe, measure out one recipe at a time. My KitchenAid mixer gets grumpy with more than one recipe in the bowl.

Oatmeal Cookies with Toasted Pecans and Dried Cherries

1 ¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 ¼ c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped

1 c. dried cherries, chopped coarsely

12 T. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ c. packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets (18x12 inches) with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a medium bowl. In a second medium bowl, stir together oats, toasted pecans, and dried cherries. Cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add the oat/nut mixture. Mix until just incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, divide the dough into 16 equal portions (about 1/4 cup each). Place the scoops about 2 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press each dough ball to a one-inch thickness. Place cookie sheets on the upper-middle and lower-middle racks and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets front to back and top to bottom, then continue baking for 8-10 minutes until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft. The cookies will seem underdone and appear to be raw and shiny in the cracks. Be careful not to over-bake. Cool on wire racks.

This recipe makes about 18 large, gorgeous cookies unless you eat a lot of the dough right out of the bowl. Good news! These bad boys freeze beautifully and are actually more delicious the day after baking.

Enjoy!