Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

I have always been a fan of Oatmeal Cookies, but sometimes they can be, admittedly, a little dull. This variation will shake things up with the flavors of Black Forest Cake. Of course, if you are looking for a good Oatmeal Cookie recipe and don't care for the chocolate cherry idea, simply choose your own mix-ins; raisins, cranberries, walnuts nothing at all.

Do not over-bake these cookies! The edges should be brown, but the rest of the cookie should be very light in color.

If you use salted butter, omit the salt called for in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (1/2 pound or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, OR 1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (2 sticks)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla paste or extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cherries, cut in pieces if very large
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
• 3 cups "Quick" or "Old Fashioned" rolled oats 

How to:

1 Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

2 In a large mixing bowl, beat butter or Earth Balance until creamy. Add the sugars, beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract, and cinnamon.

3 Mix flour, salt, baking soda together. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the cherries, chocolate and nuts. Stir in the oats.

4 Spoon out the dough by large tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.

5 Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, about 14 minutes. Note that the cookies will seem underdone, but they will firm up as they cool.

6 Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Then carefully remove them, using a metal spatula, to a wire rack. Cool completely. They will be quite soft until completely cooled. Store tightly covered.