It amazes me how a dog can be sleeping so soundly, snoring and chasing squirrels and catching birds, and as soon as a single chocolate chip drops to the floor, he’s awake and in the kitchen scooping it up. The way their supersonic ears can pick up the sound of a bag of chips being opened from the other side of the house just blows my mind.
Really, I can’t even walk into the kitchen without our dogs being in there under my feet waiting for something to hit the floor. And the fact that I can be a little clumsy works to their advantage. But sometimes I would like them to just STAY ASLEEP so I don’t have to worry about them while I’m trying to concentrate on a recipe.
These cookies aren’t the answer to that problem, however, because they have so many different ‘goodies’ mixed in, that the dogs get lucky constantly. Nicknamed the ‘kitchen sink cookies’, they contain oats, chocolate, dried cherries, toffee pieces, and I sometimes add pecans or other nuts, too.
I first made this recipe from Martha Stewart in 1999, and they have become one of my favorite cookies I make on a regular basis. They are just so delicious with the chocolate-dried cherry combo and the toffee. I make them a lot for the holidays, probably because the recipe makes a ton. If you need to clean out your pantry, this is the recipe to do it.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup toffee pieces
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add the egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add the vanilla; mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and mix on low speed until well combined. Add the oats, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine after each addition.
- Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Shortbread 
I have a bake sale coming up. Come over and help. All these cookies would be a hit.
These look amazing. It would seem that once in a while I could even swap out regular chocolate for white chocolate to please my non-dark chocolate eating husband. But only once in a while; I like the sound of this recipe exactly as is.