Torie's Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

97 Ratings
  • 5 33
  • 4 21
  • 3 28
  • 2 12
  • 1 3

Torie Hallock makes these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cookies at Skylands, Martha's house in Maine. They are full of oats, dried cherries, chocolate chips, and bits of toffee candy.

Martha Stewart Living, February 1999

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Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.

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  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add the egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add the vanilla; mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

  • Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and mix on low speed until well combined. Add the oats, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine after each addition.

  • Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat, spacing 2 inches apart.

  • Bake cookies until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

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Reviews (49)

97 Ratings
  • 5 33
  • 4 21
  • 3 28
  • 2 12
  • 1 3
Martha Stewart Member
08/28/2013
The add-ins in this cookie create a wonderful taste, and certainly leave the baker able to experiment with their own favorites. For Christmas, white chips are a nice change, as is coconut, anytime. Agree with the comment that said to take these out after 10-12 minutes and let them "finish" for five minutes on the baking sheet.) If you're worried about a flat cookie, use a trusted cc cookie recipe that only calls for a stick of butter, adding the oats, toffee bits, chips, and cherries as posted.
Martha Stewart Member
04/07/2013
Toffee chips with no chocolate is the one I used. This is my favorite cookie recipe. They are delicious and addictive.
Martha Stewart Member
08/06/2012
For those who have made this, do you use the heath toffee bits that also have chocolate (like a chopped up heath bar), or the bits that are toffee with no chocolate?
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Martha Stewart Member
12/05/2011
This has become one of my favorite cookie recipes. I am always very popular when I bring these to a gathering. I do tweak it a bit. My latest tweak is substituting freeze dried strawberries, pineapple, and banana for the dried cherries. I call them my Banana Split cookies. Yummm! Check out my tweaked recipe: http://www.thrivequickdish.com/rec/banana-split-cookies/
Martha Stewart Member
02/06/2011
Very good cookie. I used semi-sweet chunks instead of the bittersweet chocolate and they turned out fine. I added a little salt since the recipe didn't call for it but it doesn't need added salt. Baked them for 12 minutes and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Rotating the cookie sheet is a must. If they look like the need one more minute, DON'T do it. Take them out and let them sit for 5 minutes and they will finish "cooking" as they cool. Yum.
Martha Stewart Member
12/14/2010
This is a wonderful cookie. I have made it since I first saw it on the show. I suggest you don't try to substitue anything. Best the way it is here. Enjoy. To Tootieane..you can use your beater just fine.
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Martha Stewart Member
09/01/2010
I don't have a mixer with a paddle attachment. Could I just mix and directed with a hand mixer or would that ruin the recipe.
Martha Stewart Member
06/26/2009
Texas-Greta...Leaving out the oats pretty much leaves you with a chocolate chip cookie, so you could just find another recipe for those and add cherries. However, if you really just want to use this recipe, you might just need to add some additional flour. Good luck!
Martha Stewart Member
05/05/2009
If I took out the oats would I need to change something else in the recipe?
Martha Stewart Member
04/21/2009
the flavor of these cookies was great, but they came out very flat -- too flat. i wonder if their is too much butter and that is why they spread so much? I will make these again using a different "base" of butter, sugar, flour, etc.
Martha Stewart Member
04/19/2009
these cookies are delicious! i was fortunate enough to be in the audience the day they were made and we got to try them. a great recipe!
Martha Stewart Member
04/19/2009
No - this temperature is for a conventional oven. If you use a CONVECTION oven, drop the temp to 325.
Martha Stewart Member
04/18/2009
I said that backwards - should I increase the temp to 375 degrees when using a traditional oven?
Martha Stewart Member
11/20/2008
Made these cookies for a camping trip, they were such a hit people are still e-mailing me 4 months later for the recipe. Great recipe, easy to make .
Martha Stewart Member
09/23/2008
I baked these exactly as described and I had no problems whatsoever. I used 3.5 oz of lindt bittersweet chocolate, then had semi sweet and made up the difference with that. Boy could you taste the difference. Had trouble finding the dried cherries and was pressed for time so I used craisians cherry flavored...they were amazing. Game some to my neighbors....and a dozen to my cousin for his 16th birthday along with his present and still have a ton leftover. They were a hit and so easy! Thanks!
Martha Stewart Member
08/29/2008
Those cookies are great!!~ so easy to make, so delicious...
Martha Stewart Member
08/28/2008
Without a doubt, Tori's recipe is the greatest cookie recipe I have ever tried. I have been making the Cherry Chocolate Chunk recipe since Martha first showcased it a number of years ago. Folks would line up at our yearly school bake sale just to buy these cookies. I will not use anything but the finest ingredients. In the early days, dried cherries could only be bought at Williams-Sonoma, but I would do it for this recipe. The original recipe revealed a secret tip for the toffee pieces: use Skor bars! My family considers this an heirloom recipe, so our heartfelt compliments to you, the chef, Tori.
Martha Stewart Member
08/13/2008
I made these yesterday, try baking 12 minutes and for them not to be so flat I make a good size "ball chunk" of cookie dough for a cookie, they are not so thin this way. Try and heap the "ball chunk" high, as the cookies will flatten during baking..they really are very tasty and if they are baked properly they are nice and thick. You just have to work around your oven temperature, and try more cookie dough, don't be afraid to pile it high.
Martha Stewart Member
08/12/2008
I made these cookies today and they were flat. I baked them for 16 minutes; next time I am going to go for 14 minutes. Because at 14 minutes they were still raised; last 2 minutes went flat. I forgot to rotate pans, missed that. Also going to make sure my baking soda is fresh. I used the regular table butter. Everyone enjoyed them. You definitely need the parchment paper.
Martha Stewart Member
08/07/2008
I don't know what the problem is with the last few comments. THESE COOKIES ARE TO DIE FOR! I've been substituting "Smart balance", butter substitute, for all of my baked goods to reduce the heart attack factor. They come out just as wonderful. My husband and teens wiped out a batch in a night and were looking for more.
Martha Stewart Member
08/06/2008
Too oily of a cookie....thin and crunchy. I like a more chewy cookie.
Martha Stewart Member
08/04/2008
Very much NOT impressed with this receipe. Everyone thought the cherry's were raisens and each cookie didn't have a portion of chocolate, cherrie or toffee in it, almost like there wasn't enough to 'go around' to make all the cookies.
Martha Stewart Member
08/02/2008
Oh boy! I checked the price of dried cherries at our local store here in Northeast Ohio, $11.00 a package. At that rate the cookies would be too expensive for me. That's the first time a price scared me.
Martha Stewart Member
07/26/2008
I used dried bing cherries from Trader Joe's, chocolate covered heath bits, and chopped up some dark chocolate. I chilled it overnight, and the result was pretty fantastic! The cookies are really thin, but they hold their shape especially after they cooled on my baking sheet. Definitely use parchment paper -- it speeds the process of lifting the cookies off the pan!
Martha Stewart Member
07/24/2008
I found all my ingredients at Super Walmart Toffee chips are in baking dept! Anyways I made these cookies and took some to friends and then a few to my doctor's office ( got to take care of the doctor's) and this recipe was a hit they loved the different bites you would get in this cookie without me telling them ! Everyone would guess what they were biting into! These will be great gifts for anytime of the year beacuse they are sooooo good and chewy !
Martha Stewart Member
07/21/2008
If you can't find toffee chips in your local store, amazon.com has 2 varieties available in their gourmet food section: Skor and Heath. A bit pricey but you do get a lot. And these cookies ARE worth the effort. I also found making them into logs and refreigerating them works best.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
You can find an egg replacer at a health food store. You can also do a search on the internet to see what can be used instead of eggs. There are all sorts of things you can use without buying the replacer. Just google, substituting eggs in cooking and see what you get.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Dried cherries are found in the grocery store in the section that has raisins and other dried fruit.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
I would like to make these for someone with an egg allergy. Is there anything I can substitute for the egg?
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Toffee pieces are unknown in this part of the world (Aust). What can I use as a substitute?
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
I make these every Christmas and they are THE BEST cookies I've ever had. They freeze well which is good because I'd eat them all otherwise. I have found dried cherries at Target. I can't imagine them with dried cranberries.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Would love to try these cookies, does it matter what type of oats are used?
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Toffee chips are unavailable at all the grocery chains in my area and I live in a large Southern California city. I have to wiz Skor or Heath bars in the processor, but even they are very hard to find.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
The original recipe called for rolling the dough into logs and wrapping in plastic wrap and chilling for at least 2 hours then cutting with a serrated knife into 1/2 inch rounds.....this is how I still make them and they turn out great every time....also use parchment or silpat and that would help, and let them cool a bit before you try to move them - they are a heavy cookie, with all that yummy stuff in them.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Oh, and one more thing - I think the original recipe from years ago said to roll the dough into logs, refrigerate until cold and then slice
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
I have also been making these cookies for years. My family requests them every Christmas and my friends ask for them at every bbq. So delicious!
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
Try flattening the dough balls before baking so they spread better during their oven time. Bake until golden, then leave on the pan for 5 min. before transferring to a rack. I use dark chocolate chips with great results. Dried cherries are available at Trader Joe's and Stater Bros. markets. Toffee chips are harder to find - usually around in the fall.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
I followed this recipe perfectly and they didn't really come out great. I usually like the recipes on this website. They didn't hold a shape and weren't done. So then I baked them longer for the second batch and they just didn't hold together. Not worth it.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
We can get them at Costco and at other grocery stores in the dried fruit aisle.
Martha Stewart Member
07/20/2008
where do you buy dried cherries?
Martha Stewart Member
04/08/2008
Where can I find this recipe? HELP.
Martha Stewart Member
04/07/2008
Please HELP. I need the recipe for Torie's Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies. I have tried everything to find it. You show the photo of the cookies but no recipe. Please send it to me pdcnt@sbcglobal net or to ChefPat as a contributor. Thank you!!!
Martha Stewart Member
03/19/2008
This is one of the best cookies I have ever had. Everyone loves them . I have made them five times in the last month.
Martha Stewart Member
02/14/2008
I have to agree with everyone! I've been making these for years - they have to be my favorite and everyone I make them for LOVES them - including my very picky 12 year old niece who adores them and has asked I send her the link to this recipe so she can make them herself!
Martha Stewart Member
01/11/2008
My husband recently deployed to Iraq and these cookies are the only thing her requested that I send him over there, in Baghdad. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Martha Stewart Member
01/11/2008
hhhmmmm think I will make these as Valentine cookies and use dried cranberries for color.
Martha Stewart Member
01/09/2008
I have been making this recipe for almost 10 yrs now. They are BY FAR my and my friend's favorite. I have given them as gifts on Mother's Day, valentines Day, Xmas, Birthdays, etc. I just now substitute the eggs for egg replacer and the flour for whole wheat or spelt and they come out just as awesome...
Martha Stewart Member
12/23/2007
I couldn't agree more. They're a bit expensive to make, but truly delicious. I just made them for a large party and they were a big hit.
Martha Stewart Member
11/06/2007
These are hands down one of the best cookie recipes on the site. I make them every fall -- the dried cherries scream fall to me -- and everyone loves them. They are the perfect combination of chewy and crunchy (thanks to the toffee pieces).
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