These dark chocolate and sour cherry oat cookies are the ultimate treat for when you want a little indulgence. They’re bursting with tangy dried cherries, chewy oats, rich dark chocolate and a hint of sea salt. If you can’t find dried cherries, feel free to swap them for cranberries or raisins.
Serves: makes 8–10 cookies
Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
100g / ¾ cup / 3.5 oz self-raising flour, sifted75g / ¾ cup / 2.5 oz jumbo porridge oats
100g / ¾ cup / 3.5 oz coconut sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
75g / ⅓ cup / 2.5 oz almond butter
50ml / ¼ cup / 1.5 fl oz plant-based milk, (we used soya milk)
50g / ⅔ cup / 1.5 oz dried sour cherries, (or use dried cranberries/raisins)
50g / ⅔ cup / 1.5 oz 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into chunks
Pinch of flaky sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 350°F. Line a shallow baking tray (about 30 x 35cm / 12 x 14”) with baking parchment.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the oats, coconut sugar and a pinch of salt.
Stir in the coconut oil, almond butter, plant-based milk and cherries, mix until you have a rough dough that holds together.
Next, scoop out dessert-spoonfuls of the dough, roll into balls and place evenly spaced apart on the lined baking tray. Use the palm of your hands to squash down into rounds and push a chunk of chocolate into the middle of each one.
Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack (don’t worry if they seem a little soft, they will firm up as they cool). Scatter over a pinch of sea salt before serving.
Cooking tip: You can freeze the dough before baking — simply squash down into rounds and freeze in a single layer on a tray (so that they don’t get stuck together); transfer to a more compact container once they have frozen.
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