I’m drooling just thinking about these cookies.  They are super crunchy, a little salty and stuffed with chocolate, fruit and nuts.

For Christmas I use a small cookie scoop (about 1 teaspoon) but the rest of the year I use a larger (1 tablespoon) scoop.  This recipe makes about 100 small cookies.

For this recipe you’ll need:

•  16 tablespoons (2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (don’t substitute quick cooking or instant oats)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
• 1 cup dried fruit (I prefer cherries, but cranberries or raisins are also nice)
• kosher salt to garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars at medium speed in a stand mixer until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).

Add egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed for about 1 minute.  Scrape bowl as needed to fully incorporate ingredients.

Add flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix on low until fully combined, scraping bowl as needed.

Add oats, chocolate, nuts and dried fruit.  Mix on low for a few seconds in between each addition to combine ingredients.  Do not over beat.  Stir with a spatula if needed to fully incorporate ingredients.

**If you want to freeze the dough and bake later, see instructions below.**

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto paper.  For small cookies, leave at least an inch between cookies.  For large cookies, leave about 2 inches between cookies.  Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of kosher salt.

Bake small cookies for 14 minutes at 375 degrees, rotating half way through.  Bake large cookies for 16 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then move cookies to a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week (but they won’t be around that long!).

**Freezing Instructions**

Scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet.  The balls can be close together but should not touch each other.  Freeze for at least 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container or zippered bag.  Freeze until ready to bake.  Follow the instructions above to bake the cookies, adding 1 minute of baking time.  You do not need to defrost the cookies before baking.

Enjoy!