White Chocolate & Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE

June 2023

It's time to take oatmeal cookies to a whole new level with my thin and crispy oatmeal cookie recipe. Say goodbye to boring raisins and hello to a decadent combination of dried sweet cherries and white chocolate.

This recipe starts the way any traditional cookie begins: by creaming the butter and sugar. I use melted butter cooled to room temperature, which will allow the batter to spread more while it’s baking and speed the development of gluten in the flour, making for a delightfully thin and chewy cookie.

But that’s not quite enough for me – I would also like these cookies to be crispy on the edges, and that’s why there's a significant amount of brown sugar sweetening this cookie dough.

Once the butter and sugar are creamed and glossy, mix in one egg and the vanilla extract.

In order to achieve a thin and crispy cookie, it's important to be as precise as possible with the amount of flour. The recipe calls for a cup and a half of all purpose flour, but I prefer to measure out 200 grams by weight. Gently whisk together the dry ingredients and mix until just combined without overworking the cookie dough.

Now it's time for the mix-ins: traditional Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, plus 12 ounces of good quality white baking chocolate and a half cup of dried sweet (not tart) cherries.

You could use white chocolate chips or morsels, but I prefer to chunk the chocolate myself. The smaller shavings will melt into the batter and add some additional sweetness, while the large chunks will add texture.

Dried sweet cherries are a major upgrade from raisins. Cherries have a great chew to them and add unexpected bursts of sweetness. Roughly chop them before adding them into the cookie dough.

This recipe has been an adventure of experimenting, adjusting and testing over time. Oatmeal cookies can be a little bland, so I set out to find just the right balance of unexpected sweetness and complexity. I think these turned out just right, and I hope you give them a try.

Scoop rounded heaps of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. If each cookie is about two tablespoons of dough, the recipe will yield about two dozen cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Once they are baked, they'll keep for a few days in an airtight container without losing their texture. You can also keep the cookie dough raw in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring the dough to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before baking.

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White Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Season: Any

Serves: Makes 2 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. salted butter (two sticks), melted

1 c. granulated sugar

¼ c. light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ c. (200 g by weight) all purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 c. old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

12 oz white baking chocolate, chopped into chunks

1/2 c. dried sweet (not tart) cherries

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a small saucepan or the microwave. Let it cool to room temperature.

In a stand mixer - or with a hand mixer - add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Cream for two minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk or sift until evenly combined. Add to creamed sugar mixture and mix gently until just combined.

Roughly chop the chocolate bars into medium sized chunks. Roughly chop the cherries into quarters. Stir in oats, white chocolate chunks and cherries.

Scoop the cookie dough in two tablespoon rounds onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Recipe notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all recipes are developed with Kerrygold salted butter and Diamond Kosher salt. If you prefer to use unsalted butter, adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you use table salt, decrease recommended quantities of salt by around half.