Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are definitely a classic American favorite.  This recipe is a nice twist to an all time favorite.  The original recipe came from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cherry-Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal-Cookies-4953

I felt that the original had too much sugar and was too busy in general.  I altered a couple of ingredients to make it just a bit better.

Here is my version:

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour (I use spelt)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 T softened butter
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup oats (I used quick oats because that was what I had on hand)
1/2-1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, I felt they made the cookies too busy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to  325 degree F and line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper
2.  Combine dry (flour, oats, salt, baking soda) ingredients in a bowl
3.  Combine wet (butter, sugar, egg, extracts) ingredients in a separate large bowl
4.  Add dry mixture to wet mixture and combine
5.  Add dried cherries, almonds, and chocolate chips if desired
6.  Drop cookie dough by spoonfuls two inches apart on the cookies sheets
7.  Bake 15-20 minutes depending on desired crispiness ( more browned on the edges will be more crispy in the end)
8.  Enjoy!

Note:  This is a good basic oatmeal cookie recipe and it seems to do well when changing up the dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate.  Experiment and have fun!  Let me know what wonderful variations you come up with.