Oatmeal CookieBlog: Cherry-Lemon Joy Cookies

This flavor combination was inspired by, of all things, a cherry lemonade scented candle. I know...kinda weird, right? But it's a fruity relationship made in heaven: sweet and tart, rich but light and bright at the same time.

Initially, I wanted to use fresh cherries in this recipe, but it's not cherry season yet, and none of the grocery stores near me had frozen cherries. I almost gave up, but then, as I was wandering the produce section like a zombie muttering cher-ries under my breath, something caught my eye: dried cherries. Huzzah! Eureka! Yabadabadoo! I had solved that part of the recipe equation.

Next up was the lemon. I wanted these cookies to be lemony but not overpoweringly lemony or tart. So I pulled out one of my old tricks...and added a twist. (Jeeze...I'm all full of puns today.) Longtime readers know my rule of three for citrus flavor. I used lemon zest, juice, and extract. And for a little extra oomph and depth of flavor, I added Lemon Zinger tea--three ways, of course: as an enplumpening liquid for the dried cherries, in the wet ingredients, and (unbrewed) in the dry ingredients.

With the cherry and lemon locked in, I started to think of some complementary flavors and textures to add. This is where the "joy" part comes in. (You know the commercial.) Coconut for a tropical taste and chewy texture and slivered almonds for a toothsome crunch.

Warning: These cookies were really popular with my real-life cookie tasters. Make sure you save a few for yourself!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Cherry-Lemon Joy Cookies.)

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon enplumpening liquid 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoons coconut extract 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
Dry Ingredients	2 cups coconut 2 cups hot water with 4 Lemon Zinger tea bags 2 cups dried cherries 1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 1/3 cups slivered almonds 1 cup flour contents of 6 Lemon Zinger tea bags 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350º.
Heat the enplumpening and add the tea bags and dried cherries. Let steep until step 5.
In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.
Strain the cherries and discard the remaining enplumpening liquid.
In another large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
Place the dough in the fridge for 30-35 minutes to firm up.
Shape dough into balls—about 2 tablespoons each.
Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Smoosh the dough balls slightly to flatten them a little.
Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are firm. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.