Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal Cookies perfectly balance sweet chocolate chunks, tart cherries, and a dusting of sea salt into a comforting oatmeal cookie that anyone can appreciate.

When it comes to cookie preferences, you have the Chocolate Chip Cookie crowd, and the much smaller (but vocal) minority who prefers Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

We’re not here to pick a side, but rather to unite the cookie loving masses with this one cookie recipe.

These chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies give the CCC lovers all the sweet melty chocolate and chewy dough they love, while providing the ORC faithful with the hearty rolled oats and brown sugar that speaks to their souls.

Did we leave out the raisins? Yes. But hold on! Have you tried baked tart cherries in a cookie yet? I dare wager that once you’ve put taster to these cherry chocolate chip cookies that you won’t be missing them.(and if you are, then you can always pile them high atop some Amish Baked Oatmeal for breakfast, or throw as many raisins as you like into our Healthy Trail Mix Recipe.)

Why We Love These Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Everyone will love something different about these cookies, but for us, it boils down to this: This cookie recipe is Fast, Delicious, and Unique.

Fast– You can prep these cherry chocolate chip cookies fast (in about 20 minutes) and have them freshly baked and ready to eat in only 45 minutes (if you use our freezer shortcut). For some great tips check out our ultimate guide to freezing cookies and bars.

Delicious– It had been years since I ate one of these cherry oatmeal cookies, but I am not exaggerating when I say that this time, they FLOORED me. The flavors wash over you in a beautiful sequence of sweet, oaty, and tart with a slight salty finish.

Upon further review, these are a contender for our favorite cookie recipe. Or at least 1a, 1b with the Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips or our Iced Orange Cookies. They’re just delicious.

Unique– Finally, this is a perfect cookie recipe to have on hand because you know that no matter how many others bring cookies to your gathering, bake sale, potluck, or party, that these will stand out as unique. In a sea of middling chocolate chip cookie platters, these chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies shine brightly.

Key Ingredients for Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

• Chocolate – Are you a milk chocolate person or do you prefer dark chocolate in your cookies? No matter how you answer that question, (at least for this cherry oatmeal cookie recipe) there are NO wrong answers. This recipe is GREAT with either or both. Though, whichever you choose, do yourself a favor; Keep that stale bag of chocolate chips locked away in the drawer and go ahead and splurge on the guuuud chocolate for this recipe. I’m talking those big ol bars of Tony’s, Cadbury, Lindt, or Ghirardelli chocolate. You won’t be sorry. (*The World Market chocolate isle is your friend.)
• Dried Cherries – Montmorency cherries are perfect for their tart sweetness and their juicy size. They’re just slightly bigger than raisins or dried cranberries, and have a much nicer chew. (*don’t say it, don’t say it… MOOOUTH FEEEEEL) Michigan exports these by the boatload, so you should be able to find them at most grocery stores.
• Rolled oats – The oats you know and love. Nothing special here, except how wonderfully oats always pair with…
• Brown sugar & salt – We love a sweet treat that has a hint of salt, and these cherry oatmeal cookies are no exception. (Ex: Salted Chocolate Pretzel Toffee Bark or Chocolate Covered Pretzels) We use table salt in the cookie dough, and flake sea salt for the finishing touches.

Other standard cookie dough ingredients are present here also. Butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.

How to Make Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1. The wet ingredients– At the electric mixer, mix together butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in vanilla extract.

2. The dry ingredients– Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed until well combined.

3. The star ingredients– Stir in the milk chocolate chunks and cherries on low.
4. Chill the dough– Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can scoop the dough onto baking sheets and freeze for 15 minutes.

5. Oven @ 350°F– To bake, drop heaping Tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and mostly set. Allow the cookies to set up completely on the cookie sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool.
6. Finishing touches– Add any spare chocolate pieces or cherries just for (*optional) decoration and sprinkle with flakes of sea salt to taste. Store in an airtight container.

There you have it. These chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies are no more complicated than any other homemade cookie, but I think you will appreciate the contrasting and complimentary flavors.

These beauties may never be the #1 favorite for kids who just want a sugar blasted treat (*see GF Monster Cookies), but if you need a more balanced, refined cookie recipe that is one of a kind, these definitely fit the bill.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Chill Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Oatmeal cookies packed with chocolate and dried cherries then sprinkled with sea salt. The perfect chewy, soft, sweet and salty cookie!

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk or dark chocolate chunks (about 3 chocolate bars broken into pieces), plus more for topping
• 1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped, plus more for topping
• Flake sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
3. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, soda, salt and beat on low speed until well combined.
4. Stir in the milk chocolate chunks and cherries.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight. If you're in a hurry, you can scoop the dough onto baking sheets and freeze for 15 minutes.
6. To bake, drop heaping Tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden and mostly set. Allow the cookies to set up completely on the cookie sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool.
7. Sprinkle with flakes of sea salt and store in an airtight container.

Notes

I have made these many times with both dark and milk chocolate and discovered I actually like both. I also like to dot the tops with a few extra chocolate chips and cherries right after they come out of the oven for a beautiful presentation. 

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KitchenAid 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
• 
  Professional Medium Cookie Scoop, Size 40
• 
  Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-5/8 x 16-1/2
• 
  Nordic Ware Aluminum Baking Sheet (2 Pack), Silver

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.

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Still Hungry for More?

We can’t get enough cookies either. That’s why we have so many different cookie recipes!

Just search “cookie” up in the search bar to find our Christmas time favorites like these snowflake Canestrelli, classic Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies, our soft and chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies, or these delicate Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookies.

For our springtime lineup, don’t miss our Mint Oreo Cookies, Coconut Cookies, these Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies, or these no bake Chocolate Birds Nests.

Once we made these cookies, and had a baby

Now updated, the original copy for this post included the following story.

When I was pregnant, I made a birth plan. It was lovely and detailed and absurdly specific. Among other things, I planned to arrive at the hospital midway through labor, calmly stroll into labor and delivery, and show up with a plate of cookies to share with all the nurses.

Instead, the Mr. ended up rushing me (*moaning) up to the third floor in a wheelchair (apologies to the unwitting couple who joined us on that elevator ride…yipes!), where I delivered the baby within about an hour of showing up. The cookies (and my laptop), sadly, were left in my suitcase in the car, which was left unlocked, with the door wide open. Did I mention we were a tad rushed? And maybe slightly distracted?

After the chaos subsided and we were settled in our recovery room with the new baby, the Mr. went back out to the car only to discover our oversight, and fetch these Cherry Oatmeal Cookies for our nursing staff. Thankfully everything worked out (with the baby, this recipe, and the fact that our car wasn’t burgled or taken over by raccoons.)

One nurse even stopped by our room later to tell us they were the best cookies she’d ever had!

Oh birth plans, you are hilarious.