I hadn’t made cookies in weeks, when a mad cookie dough craving hit. These Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies with walnuts and dried tart cherries became a delicious reality! And I got to lick the bowl!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies stacked on a white saucer

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Last weekend, Nick graduated from Indiana University. I happened to meet up with a friend for tea and she shared her menu for a post-grad picnic lunch on campus. My plans for ham sandwiches and Oreos (well, I probably would have raised the bar a bit!) bit the dust.

Instead, I baked up these fabulous oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies and planned to make a favorite fruit salad and chicken salad on croissants. I’ll share the whole experience later this week. Something with chocolate was definitely in order and these cookies were portable, full of semisweet chocolate, dried cherries, oatmeal and toasted walnuts, plus they were delish.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies on a square ceramic dish

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Variation

I after I added the chocolate to the cookie dough, I removed half of it to make plain ol’ Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I knew Nick and his roomies were more likely to eat anything homemade than the picky hubby, so I added the toasted walnuts and cherries to the rest.

I’m not a huge fan of raisins, but I could eat dried tart cherries (affiliate link) by the handful. If nobody ate the amped-up cookies, I’d be happy to pick up the slack. I should not have worried; these were winners!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies | Packed full of chocolate, oats, nuts and dried cherries

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Yield 4 dozen

Perfect oatmeal cookies full of chocolate chunks, dried cherries and toasted walnuts

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups flour
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup walnuts, toasted chopped
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
  2. By hand (I use a wooden spoon) or in a stand mixer fit with the paddle beater, mix together the sugars with the softened butter until completely blended.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time to form a smooth batter. Mix in the vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  4. Add the flour and mix till just incorporated. Fold in the oatmeal, cherries, and chocolate till combined.
  5. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons) place mounds of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  6. Then bake till edges start to brown and centers look set, 10-12 minutes. Mine took 10 minutes and I pulled them out when the very center looked underbaked.
  7. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Recipe adapted from THE KITCHN COOKBOOK by Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand via Lights on Bright, No Brakes.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

2 cookies

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 137mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 3g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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Consider using pasteurized eggs if you’re a cookie dough lover like I am. The process of pasteurization kills any salmonella bacteria and prevents a food-borne illness that could result from ingesting raw eggs.