Chewy Cherry-Pecan Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

1. Oven Setup

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle levels. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

2. Dry Mix

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.

3. Oat-Nut Blend

In another bowl, combine the rolled oats, chopped pecans, chopped dried cherries, and bittersweet chocolate chunks.

4. Creaming

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and free of lumps, about 1 minute. Occasionally pause to scrape the bowl. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract on medium-low speed until well incorporated, pausing to scrape the bowl if necessary.

5. Dough Formation

Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture until just blended, roughly 30 seconds. Follow by gently mixing in the oat-nut-chocolate blend until just combined, ensuring there are no pockets of flour and ingredients are evenly dispersed with a final manual stir if needed.

6. Shaping

Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop and shape the dough into balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2½ inches apart. Flatten each ball into a 1-inch thick disc using the bottom of the greased measuring cup.

7. Baking

Bake the cookies until they achieve a medium brown color, with the edges set but centers still soft, approximately 20 to 22 minutes. Cookies should still seem underdone and show moist, shiny cracks. Halfway through baking, rotate and switch the position of the baking sheets for even cooking.

8. Cooling

Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes post-baking, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.