Chocolate-cherry heart smart cookies

Chocolate and cherries are a great combination and one that I think does not receive the attention it deserves. That is why I was ecstatic to find this recipe for chocolate cherry cookies that are only 94 calories a cookie! If you're still skeptical, just think of these as a twist to oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies (sounds more delicious now right?)

Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies

Recipe from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients

1.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)

1.5 oz whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup dried cherries

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Weight or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving : 94 calories, 3.2g fat (1.6g saturated, 0.2g polyunsaturated, 0.6g monounsaturated), 15.7g carbohydrates, 1.3g fiber, 1.5g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Once you read the ingredients for this recipe, you can understand why it's called "heart smart cookies" with the combination of whole wheat flour and oats, and the use of brown sugar instead of white. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have whole wheat flour so I used all-purpose for both flours. I also didn't have dried cherries (I know, after the whole ordeal about chocolate and cherries, I didn't use cherries...next time!) so I used dried cranberries instead. I imagine any dried fruit would be great in this cookie, including raisins, if you insist on making something more similar to oatmeal chocolate raisin cookies. 

A great tip: if you have a dehydrator and some maraschino cherries, make your own dried cherries! I'm not a fan of maraschino cherries, but drying them really gives them a different flavor. They don't taste as if they're been drowning in syrup; rather, the cherries are the right amount of sweetness and resemble somewhat a dried cranberry.

For an easier step, I simply microwaved the butter and chocolate together instead of heating it in a saucepan. Just make sure to heat for 15 second increments and stir every 15 seconds to prevent the chocolate from burning. If you still have some whole chocolate pieces left, simply stir the mixture and the chips will melt from the heat of the melted chocolate. 

These cookies are fantastic! Someone who isn't even a big fan of sweets even said, "Man those cookies are good!" They're chewy from the oats, sweet from the chocolate and slightly tangy from the cranberry. I hate to admit it but I did eat these cookies everyday for about a week...but it's okay since they're only 94 calories each! Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk.