This is a combination recipe review and original recipe. I tested this recipe for Thick, Chewy, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Smitten Kitchen. I’ve been pondering the addition of an old fashioned cookie jar into our kitchen. Something that would satisfy our sweet tooth in a marginally healthier way, and this definitely fits the bill. The recipe is perfect as is. What I like about the recipe is that it’s divided in half for smaller batches. Perfect for a cooking for two recipe with some left over to share. I made as a road trip snack and some of the cookies mysteriously disappeared before the trip started.

However! I didn’t have enough raisins, so I split the dough in half after adding the oats and added cherries to one half and golden raisins to the other half. The cherry cookies? Delicious. So much so that I developed my own version. One that incorporates a smaller amount of sugar, switches the all purpose flour to wheat flour and more vanilla.

This cookie dough is thick and doesn’t go melty when heated. So you’ll need to form into balls and then smash. Otherwise you’ll have oatmeal cookie balls. Not necessarily a bad thing! These hold their height while cooking. The term “healthier” means that these are healthier than sugar cookies, but still not really a healthy food. Enjoy!

Healthier Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

Yield: 12 cookies
Time: 20 minutes prep, 15 minutes cook (not including overnight chilling and time for butter to soften)
Calories: about 175-200 per cookie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Combine two bowls and stir until mixture comes together.
3. Add oats and stir until combined. Then add cherries, stirring until combined.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough overnight (or at least a few hours).
5. After chilling, divide the dough into 2″ balls. Smash into circles (like a mini hamburger patty) and place about two inches apart on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Cookies are done when lightly golden on the bottom.

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