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Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies for #CreativeCookieExchange

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with cherries and pecans. They are a delightful sweet treat with the wholesome goodness of oats.

The theme was set as seasonal spring baking. I was really excited about this one. It’s because it is for cookies and it is spring. I had the perfect inspiration: strawberries. Having them in cookies is a challenge because they are mostly water. Then I saw a way to oven dry them. It seemed simple enough. Three hours and a massive failure later, I bailed on the plan. So I switched to Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies as an ode to seasonal spring baking.

So what happened with those strawberries? Here’s what is supposed to happen. You slice strawberries and lay them on parchment or non-stick liner on baking sheets. Bake them at 200°F for a couple of hours. What you should get are chewy pieces that taste like candy. I got rubber that tasted awful. I wouldn’t eat them or put them in cookies either. Oven drying two pounds of strawberries turned into a complete waste of time, effort, and money.

Next up I thought of cherries. The season for them is coming. Sadly there were no fresh cherries in the store yet. My plan was to chop cherries then press out the juice between paper towels. It’s hard to do that when you don’t have cherries. Alas I bought a bag of dried tart cherries. So at least I thought of cherry season when baking these cookies. That counts right? Sure it does.

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies by Magnolia Days

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies are chewy. It’s basically a classic oatmeal cookie recipe with cherries instead of raisins. I threw chopped pecans in the mix too. It’s because I also thought of a cherry crisp with a crumbly oatmeal pecan topping. Cherries, pecans, and a touch of cinnamon go so well together.

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies by Magnolia Days

Do you bake seasonal cookies? When I hear the term I think of holiday cookies. However it can apply throughout the year. Scroll down to see what cookies the Creative Cookie Exchange bakers did for the theme. Also take a look at my Cherry Viennese Sandwich Cookies, Cowboy Cookies, and Lavender Poppy Seed Shortbread. Both are connected to a season other than the holidays.

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with cherries and pecans. They are a delightfully sweet treat with the wholesome goodness of oats.
Course Cookie
Cuisine American
Prep Time 22 minutes
Cook Time 48 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 dozen
Author Renee Dobbs

Ingredients

  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick liner.
  2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
  4. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and beat until just combined.
  5. Stir in oats, cherries, and pecans.
  6. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden brown on the edges.
  8. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 1 minute. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Tart Cherry Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with cherries and pecans. They are a delightfully sweet treat with the wholesome goodness of oats.

Spring is here! And with it loads of great flavors for baking!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Creative Cookie Exchange Logo

If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura via email (thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com) and she will get you added to our Facebook group where discuss our cookies and share links.

Recipe Rating




Laura@ Baking in Pyjamas

Wednesday 25th of May 2016

Oatmeal cookies are one of my favourite kinds, yours look so yummy!

Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas

Thursday 19th of May 2016

I see we were on the same wavelength with cherries. Luckily fresh ones were in our Florida stores but I thought of using dried too because they have a lot less moisture. I think cherries in any cookie is delish but I bet it's awesome in an oatmeal cookie. By the way, love your thought process as you went through what to make.

Holly

Tuesday 17th of May 2016

These look great! Cherries in any form counts for me. I've had that same trouble with trying to dry strawberries in the oven. Disaster. Maybe a food dehydrator would work? I don't have that gadget but am sure I'd find plenty of uses for it.

akshatha

Tuesday 17th of May 2016

These cookies look great. And too bad about the strawberries ...I once went through two large pineapples trying to dry them out to make pineapple flowers. I got my flowers...burnt wilty ones!

Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

Tuesday 17th of May 2016

Dried cherries count for me!! I need to make oatmeal cookies soon! These look and sound very tasty!