These Oatmeal Cherry Cookies are crispy around the edges and soft and chewy in the center, featuring wholesome rolled oats. Cherry oatmeal cookies are an elevated take on classic oatmeal raisin cookies, with warm spices and tangy dried cherries.
Cookies are one of my favorite things to bake because it’s incredibly simple to throw together the batter, add my favorite mix-ins, and cook a batch off anytime I want a sweet treat. I have been experimenting with all sorts of mix-ins, like mini marshmallows for my gooey Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies. Oatmeal cookies happen to be my favorite type of cookie (crazy, I know), and with dried cherries instead of raisins, it takes them to a whole new level!
Why You’ll Love Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
- Grocery store ingredients
- Easy to adjust or make substitutions
- Dough stores well in the freezer
- Unique blend of tart cherries, warm spices
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Ingredients that Matter
You will need some basic grocery store ingredients for these tart cherry oatmeal cookies, including:
- Dried Cherries. Tart dried cherries add a delicious flavor and make for a great substitution to regular raisins. Use sweetened dried cherries (which are the most common). They can be quite expensive, so I recommend including ¾ cup of the cherries. If you can afford it, feel free to use 1 cup.
- Rolled Oats. It wouldn’t be oatmeal cookies without the oats. I recommend using old fashioned rolled oats as they’ll keep their texture and provide a nice, wholesome bite. You can use quick-cooking, but the texture will fall apart a bit.
- All-Purpose Flour. Use regular all-purpose flour for this recipe, or sub in half each whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a heartier cookie with more fiber.
- Sugars. Use both light brown sugar and granulated sugar. The light brown sugar adds a nice molasses flavor and more moisture.
- Spices. I like to use ground cinnamon and ground fresh nutmeg in my oatmeal cookies.
- Unsalted Butter. Be sure to use softened (room temperature) unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, omit the table salt.
- Table Salt. A big pinch of table salt helps bring out the flavor of these cookies.
- Vanilla Extract. A small splash of vanilla extract gives these cookies a nice caramel-like flavor.
- Baking Soda. Using baking soda helps brown these cookies and provide a nice airy texture.
- Egg. Use one large egg for this recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chewy Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Making homemade oatmeal cookies is really simple, but there are a few key steps to ensure they turn out chewy and delicious. Here is how to make this recipe:
Start by stirring together the dry ingredients, including the all-purpose flour, baking soda, table salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk.
Beat the softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl using an electric handheld mixer, about 2 minutes.
Once the butter is light and fluffy, add the light brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and airy, another 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, being sure to scrape the edges of the bowl halfway through.
Carefully add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until just combined.
Add the rolled oats and mix until just combined.
Pour in the dried cherries and switch to a rubber spatula (to avoid over mixer).
Stir the dried cherries until just combined, being sure to scrape the edges of the bowl until the cookie batter has no dry streaks and the oats and cherries are well combined.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and portion the dough into 2 tablespoon balls (about 55 grams each) using a spoon or cookie dough scoop. Roll into balls and place 6 on a prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Transfer the sheet to the refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, placing all the balls on the second baking sheet (you still want to bake only 6 at a time, so transfer the other 4 cookies to a small plate while the second batch cooks).
Preheat the oven 350F when ready to cook. Place on sheet pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Then lift the baking sheet about 4 inches above the wire rack and drop it on the rack. This helps the cookies spread out evenly. Cook until the edges are just golden brown, another 4-6 minutes. Repeat with the other baking sheet (be sure to only cook 6 cookies at a time; there will be 4 leftover cookies for a third batch and just place them on the first baking sheet once they cool). Cool cookie on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Hint: Do not overcook the cookies. Remove them from the oven when the edges are golden brown but the center is still slightly pale but not runny. The cookies will continue to cook out of the oven as they sit on the baking sheet.
Substitutions
This is a fairly classic oatmeal cookie dough recipe, but there are some substitutions you can make based on your dietary restrictions or flavor preferences, including:
- Dried Cherries – You will most likely find dried sweetened cherries at your grocery store. Use Montmorency cherries, if possible, as they are plump, juicy and perfectly tart. You may also find unsweetened cherries, though if you use them the cherries will be quite tangy.
- Whole Wheat Flour – You can use whole wheat flour for this recipe, though note they will be quite earnest. Instead, if you want a more whole-grain cookies, try using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Gluten-Free – Make these cookies gluten-free by substituting a one-to-one gluten free flour blend.
- Egg-Free – you can swap in a flax or chia seed egg by stirring in 1 tablespoon each ground flaxseed (or chia seed) with water. The cookies may fall apart a bit compared to using a regular egg. You can also use a plant-based butter to make this recipe vegan.
Cherry Oatmeal Cookie Mix-Ins
You can leave these cookies as is, or try some fun mix-ins, including:
- Nuts, including chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds
- Chocolate chips or white chocolate chips, for a chocolate oatmeal cookie
- Shredded unsweetened coconut
- Spices, including ground ginger, allspice and cloves (use these ingredients sparingly)
Equipment
This recipe uses some basic equipment. I like to make my cookies in a stand mixer, like this KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer. You can also make the dough using an electric handheld mixer like this KitchenAid 5 Electric Handheld Mixer.
Use cookie scoops, like this Cookie Scoop Set, to make it easier to portion out the dough. And bake the cookies on a half sheet tray like these Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet.
Storage
Store leftover oatmeal cherry cookies in an airtight container, cookie jar or zip top bag on the counter for about 3-4 days (they will get stale the longer they sit on the counter). You can refrigerate the cookies, if desired, but they will dry out faster in the refrigerator.
To freeze the cookies, I recommend portioning the dough into balls and placing in an airtight container or freezer-safe zip-top bag. You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer to the refrigerator the day before you want to cook them or bake them straight from the freezer (you’ll need to add a few more minutes to the cook time if baking straight from the freezer).
Top tip
Scoop the dough into portions before chilling. It’s easier to scoop room temperature dough, but don’t skip the chilling step. Refrigerating the dough helps the butter fat setup and leads to chewier, more uniform cookies.
FAQ
Use Montmorency dried cherries. They are plump, juicy and perfectly tart. You can also use unsweetened dried cherries, if available, for a very tart oatmeal cherry cookie.
Store raw cookie batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The longer the dough sits in the refrigerator, the faster the dough will dry out. If you want to store the dough longer than a couple days, transfer portions of dough to a zip top freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Try stirring in chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts or almonds. You can also add chocolate chips or white chocolate chips. Or, try stirring in unsweetened shredded coconut.
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PrintRecipe
Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Description
These Oatmeal Cherry Cookies are crispy around the edges and soft and chewy in the center, featuring wholesome rolled oats. Cherry oatmeal cookies are an elevated take on classic oatmeal raisin cookies, with warm spices and tangy dried cherries.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (166 grams / 5.9 ounces)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. table salt
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 12 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar (160 grams / 5.7 ounces)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (55 grams / 2 ounces)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats (188 grams / 6.6 ounces)
- ¾ cup dried sweetened cherries (115 grams / 4 ounces)
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl using a whisk or fork until well combined.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a medium bowl with an electric handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and continue to beat until slightly pale and light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more, being sure to scrape the edges of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, another 1-2 minutes, scraping the edges of the bowls as you mix. Add the dry ingredients in two stages, stirring after each addition until just combined. Mix until no dry streaks remain, but be careful not to overmix. Add the oats and stir just until combined. Switch to a spatula and add the cherries. Be sure to scrape around the edges of the bowl to ensure there are no dry streaks and that the cherries are well incorporated.
- Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Portion the cookie dough into two tablespoon balls, about 55 grams each. You should have 16 cookies. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and place a rack in the middle position of the oven. When ready to bake, place six cookie balls on a prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes then pick up the baking sheet about 2-4 inches above the rack and drop on the rack. This helps the dough spread out evenly. Continue cooking until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the centers are still pale and just barely cooked through, another 4-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies (you should have three batches of cookies with the last sheet having 4 cookies).Â
Notes
- Use dried sweetened Montromerency cherries, if possible. You can use unsweetened dried cherries, but note the cookies will be very tart.
- You can make this recipe using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour.
- It’s very important to use room temperature butter when making cookie batter. If you forgot to pull the butter from the refrigerator, places the butter (still in its wrapper) in a warm glass of water for a few minutes to soften.
- Try adding chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds.
- You can also add white chocolate or regular chocolate chips.
- Try stirring in unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 36 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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