Oatmeal, dried fruit and nut cookies

Wow...it has been a bit and then I hit you with a post about dried fruits and nuts. One would think I am a hippy from Nor Cal... well kinda.

Nuts and fruit in a cookie.

However, these cookies look like they would be boring blobs of fruits and nuts. Kinda like a granola bar that sat in your car too long ( yes, the one you ate cuz you were starving and HAD too!)

But, noooooo these are tasty, salty and sweet, dense and chewy and basically breakfast in cookie form. Hmmmm sounds good to me!

Dried Fruit, and Nut Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes about 12 to 16 small cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup ( one stick of butter, unsalted) softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 medium to large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 + one big pinch of salt
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cup rolled old fashion oats
1 and 1/4 cup dried fruit ( I used a mixture of cherries, blueberries cranberries and golden raisins)
1/2 cup chopped salted and roasted pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter mixture. Stir in the oats, mixed fruit and pecans.

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge and then scoop them out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. You can also chill or freeze a whole tray of scooped cookies and then once frozen keep in a zip lock until ready to use. You also can bake them right away, but the cookies will not be as dense and chewy.

The cookies should be placed about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake them for about 10 to 13 minutes, pending if the cookies were chilled or frozen. It may take longer. They are done when the edges are golden brown an the centers still look a bit undercooked. Let them sit for a bit and the let them cool on a wire rack. Can be stored in an air tight container until gone.
Enjoy!