Cookie Recipe...As Promised

As I mentioned, I was absolutely craving cookies this past week. I needed something sweet after dinner and my usual piece of chocolate simply did not cut it. So, after a wonderful meal of ravioli and sauteed greens on Thursday night, I thought it was a wise idea to start baking cookies at 9:45pm at night. Brilliant idea, actually. The end result was so incredibly satisfying that I did not care how late I had to wait to taste these cookies. 

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks - Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking For Health. I was looking for a relatively simple recipe (considering that it was 9:45pm at night and I had not planned to make cookies), so I did not want a recipe that called for something like 1 stick of butter at room temperature, since waiting for that much butter to soften would take way too long. Instead, this recipe was quick, easy, delicious, and also relatively healthy - as healthy as sweets can be.

If you are in the mood for a sweet fix, and you are willing to take 15 minutes to assemble the ingredients, then this is the recipe for you!

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Cooking For Health's "Oatmeal Cookie" recipe)
Serving size: about 24 cookies (use an actual tablespoon to measure out portions)
Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (tip: place to butter on top of the stove as the oven preheats - this expedites the process of warming the butter)
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-1/3 brown sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 large egg
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats!)
-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
-1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped (cranberries or raisins work too!)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Spray two baking sheets with oil or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.With an electric mixer or whisk, beat together the butter and oil in a medium bowl, until blended and smooth. 
3. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Add the egg and beat until creamy and smooth. 
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold these dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir until well blended.
5. Add the oats, chocolate chips, and dried cherries into the bowl. 
6. Drop 1 tablespoon sized rounds of cookie dough onto the baking sheets. Flatten each round of dough with your finger or back of spoon. You should have 24 tablespoon rounds (dough may seem really chunky and reluctant to stick together - do your best to push the dough together, but if it is crumbly do not worry). 
7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. 
8. Let cookies cool on a wire rack. These taste great with coffee, tea, or milk.