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These vegan dark chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies have a perfectly chewy texture and are loaded with lots of ripe, fresh cherries!
📝 Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies:
- Taste: Sweet with rich chocolate and a burst of fruity flavor from the sweet yet tart cherries.
- Texture: The golden brown edges have the best chewy texture!
- Customizability: Feel free to mix in your favorite ingredients to the cookie dough- use dried cherries instead of fresh or sub in white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate.
- Why We Love These Cookies: As a fan of using seasonal produce, I couldn’t wait to bake with fresh cherries once summer arrived. A few years ago, I made my Toasted Coconut Cherry Cookies, so I felt it was about time to create a new cherry-centric cookie recipe. These Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies combine the best of chewy oatmeal cookies with rich chocolate chunks and tart cherry pieces. They’re a sweet treat that any chocolate lover will adore!
Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Vegan Butter: I used Earth Balance Salted Buttery Sticks (softened at room temperature) in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite vegan butter, just make sure to use buttery sticks vs. butter from a tub. This could be subbed with softened coconut oil, however I haven’t tested this substitution and can’t guarantee results. If using oil or unsalted butter, increase the salt by about 1/8 teaspoon. You can learn more about which vegan butter brands are the best for baking here!
- Brown Sugar: This recipe calls for light brown sugar which gives the cookie a subtle caramel flavor. You can in sub dark brown sugar or coconut sugar if you’d like (the texture may be slightly different).
- Ground Flaxseed: This is the egg substitute in this cookie recipe (equivalent to 1 egg when mixed with 2 tbsp of water).
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Unlike my Steel Cut Oat Cookies, this recipe uses old fashioned oats. For the best texture, don’t use steel cut or quick oats here.
- Dark Chocolate: I used vegan dark chocolate chips, but you could use chopped dark chocolate or even semi-sweet chocolate. If you swap in white chocolate, these cookies would be perfect for holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s day.
- Fresh Pitted Cherries: Like I mentioned above, I used fresh cherries. However, you can sub in the same amount of dried cherries.
Helpful Equipment
Here are a few tools that will make creating this recipe extra easy:
- Large Bowl and a Small Bowl: To make the cookie dough and mix the flax egg
- Cookie Sheet: For baking
- Parchment Paper: For easy clean up
- Wire Rack: For cooling the cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
🍒 *Ingredient Quantities are in the Recipe Card Below!*
STEP 1: Cream the softened vegan butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
📌 TIP: I use a mixing bowl and a silicone spatula, but you could also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or even a hand mixer.
STEP 2: Add the prepared flax egg and the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
STEP 3: Pour the dry ingredients on top. Use a fork to sift them together, then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to form a soft cookie dough.
STEP 4: Add the chopped cherries and dark chocolate on top and fold into the dough.
STEP 5: Scoop the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet with about two inches of space between each ball.
STEP 6: Gently press the dough balls so they’re about 1/2″ thick. Then, bake for about 13-14 minutes.
📌 TIP: Press a few extra chocolate chips or cherry pieces into the top of the cookie.
STEP 7: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then, transfer them to a wire rack!
Serving & Storage
As the cookies cool, the edges will firm up creating the best chewy cookies! I love dunking them in a cold glass of almond milk for a sweet treat at the end of the day or a fun afternoon snack.
These homemade cookies are a great way to celebrate cherry season, but they’d also be delicious any time of year. Honestly, they’d be a perfect cookie for Christmas, especially if you swap out the dark chocolate with dairy free white chocolate chips!
⏲️ To store them: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also freeze them and a freezer baggie for up to 3 months.
Helpful Tips For The BEST Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
❶ Accurately Measure the Flour: For the best texture, I recommend measuring the flour with a digital scale. Or measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling the top with a knife. Scooping flour directly from the bag compacts it down and it leads to 1-2 extra tablespoons per 1/4 cup! This will create cakey, dry cookies.
❷ Flatten the Cookies Before Baking: These cookies don’t spread a ton, so gently pressing the dough balls helps create a chewy oatmeal cookie.
❸ Shape the Cookies After Baking: If the cookies spread in an uneven shape, you can use a circular cookie cutter or a large circular glass to shape them back into circles.
❹ Let the Cookies Cool on the Tray: These cookies finish baking after you’ve removed them from the oven. For the best texture, let them cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Steel Cut Oat Cookies
- Strawberry Crunch Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Classic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Bread Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Did you make this Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookie recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Vegan Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp softened vegan butter, 84g, I used Salted Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, 150g
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, plus 2 tbsp water for a flax egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats, 100g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 120g
- ½ tsp baking soda, 2g
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup fresh pitted cherries, 75g, chopped into ¼” pieces
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the flax egg by mixing the ground flaxseed with water and allow it to sit for 5 mins.1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the vegan butter and brown sugar until the mixture becomes lighter in color.6 tbsp softened vegan butter, ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- Add in the flax egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar, mix until well combined.1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- Add the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt on top of the wet ingredients. Use a fork to sift them together.1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Fold in the chopped cherries and dark chocolate chunks or chips½ cup fresh pitted cherries, ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop about 2 tbsp of dough into your palm and roll into balls. Place about 2" apart on the sheet. Gently press down on the balls to flatten them into a disc about ½” thick.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe notes
- Accurately Measure the Flour: For the best texture, I recommend measuring the flour with a digital scale. Or measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling the top with a knife. Scooping flour directly from the bag compacts it down and it leads to 1-2 extra tablespoons per 1/4 cup! This will create cakey, dry cookies.
- Flatten the Cookies Before Baking: These cookies don’t spread a ton, so gently pressing the dough balls helps create a chewy oatmeal cookie.
- Shape the Cookies After Baking: If the cookies spread in an uneven shape, you can use a circular cookie cutter or a large circular glass to shape them back into circles.
- Let the Cookies Cool on the Tray: These cookies finish baking after you’ve removed them from the oven. For the best texture, let them cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
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Categories:
Baked Goods, Christmas, Comfort Food, Cookies, Desserts, Recipes, Seasonal, Spring, Summer, Valentine's Day, Winter,
