Fruity inspirations: oatmeal blues drop cookies

ALISON LADMAN

Everyone loves a basic oatmeal cookie. But these are no ordinary oatmeal cookies. In addition to studding them with chewy, sweet dried blueberries, we've also given them a sugary-and-salty topping. The result is a deeply flavored, addictive combination that elevates an otherwise simple treat.

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OATMEAL BLUES DROP COOKIES

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Makes 3 dozen cookies

14 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt, divided

Zest of 1/2 lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups dried blueberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, brown sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the lemon zest and the vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Stir in the flour, then the oats, followed by the blueberries.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the granulated sugar.

Working in batches, drop the dough by the tablespoonful into the salt-sugar to dunk their tops. Place the dough, sugar side up, on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies for spreading. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges and no longer shiny on top.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition information per cookie: 150 calories; 50 calories from fat (33 percent of total calories); 5 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25 mg cholesterol; 22 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 12 g sugar; 2 g protein; 95 mg sodium.