You can always come up with a good reason to bake cookies.

Stuck inside on a rainy day?  Need to cheer up a friend?  Want to break back into the blogosphere after a long hiatus?  All of the above?

There are a gazillion cookie recipes out there, but only a few are incredible; this is one of them.  I first tasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherries & Pecans made from the Cook’s Illustrated recipe about a week ago and promptly fell in love.  I made a few minor tweaks (replaced the butter with Greek yogurt, swapped the white flour for white whole wheat flour, and cut the sugar by using Splenda Brown Sugar Blend ) to produce this “healthified” version that has all the same flavor and texture that make the original oh so delectable.

I adore oatmeal cookies, but there is nothing more disappointing than biting into what you think is an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to find that the “chocolate chips” are actually raisins!  Sigh.  Nothing against raisins, but they will never be chocolate.

This is an oatmeal cookie that does not skimp on the chocolate chips and takes it to the next level with chunks of dried cherries.  Chocolate covered cherry fans know that this combination will make your taste buds sing.  Thanks to the oats and pecans, the texture of the cookie is perfectly chewy.  Not too crunchy, not too cakey, just right.

So whether it’s because you signed up to bring dessert to an event or just because it’s Monday, you can surely find a reason to try these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherries & Pecans today!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherries & Pecans
(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Yields: 24 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (OR 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar)
1/4 cup egg substitute (OR 1 large egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In one medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another medium bowl, mix together the oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate chips.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the Greek yogurt and brown sugar on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl; add egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined. Finally, stir in oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.

Roll the dough between your hands to form large rounds and place on cookie sheets. Lightly press the dough to a 1-inch thickness. Bake two trays of cookies at a time. After 12 minutes of baking, rotate trays top to bottom and front to back, and bake for another 5 minutes. Cookies should be golden brown but appear slightly underbaked.

Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

NUTRITION
Servings: 24
Serving size: 1 cookie
Calories: 160
Fat: 6.2g
Carbs: 22.7g
Sugar: 7.2g
Fiber: 2.4g
Protein: 2.7g