Temptation

Should I share with you one of my embarrassing little secrets? I may have an empty fridge, Mother Hubbard-like cupboards and nothing but air in my bread box but I WILL find something to binge on! I was in this sitch the other day when I got the craving so it was Google to the rescue! I was looking for something I could make with the basics I had on hand: butter, flour, sugar, eggs and maybe a spice or two. All I had to do was search for "cookie recipe" and - voila - I found Sugar-y ones and Peanut Butter-y ones, Spice-y ones and Oatmeal-y ones that all fit the bill. And in fact it was these soft oatmeal guys that caught my fancy. But wait - here's where I pumped it up: with dried cherries! Yes, I had leftover dried cherries in my nearly bare cupboard - doesn't everyone? They should - these were so good that the few remaining, when I headed off to Maine, came along with me!

Molasses Cookies w Oatmeal & Dried Cherries
* Adapted from All Recipes.com
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
3 T molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups McCann's Irish Oatmeal
1 cup dried cherries

Directions
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and molasses. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats and cherries. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.  

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a fork.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: my addition of molasses make these cookies more chewy than soft. When you first start to bite into one it may seem hard but after a split second they literally start to melt in your mouth!