Don's Big Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon table salt

1¼ cups rolled oats, old-fashioned (not quick)

1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped coarse

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks about size of chocolate chips (about ¾ cup)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (¾ stick), softened but still cool

1½ cups packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place a wire mesh strainer in a bowl deep enough to keep the bottom of the strainer from touching the bottom of the bowl. Add applesauce to strainer and set aside.

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two, 12-by-18-inch (½-sheet) baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, stir together oats, cherries and chocolate.

In a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop mixer. Measure 6 tablespoons drained applesauce and add to mixer bowl and mix at medium speed for 1 minute; scrape down sides with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Gradually add oat mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure even ingredient distribution.

Using a ¼-cup measure, divide dough into 16 portions. Roll each portion into balls; stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet, about 2½ inches apart. Gently press each ball to 1-inch thickness.

Bake 12 minutes; rotate pans front to back and top to bottom and continue baking 8-10 minutes more or until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft. The cookies appear underdone in the cracks but do not overbake.

Cool cookies on pans on wire rack 5 minutes; carefully transfer (they're soft) cookies to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Serves 16.

Nutrition values per cookie: 218 calories (30.6 percent from fat), 7.4 g fat (4.1 g saturated fat), 37.7 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g fiber, 2.8 g protein, 25 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium.

Lean suggestion: An equal amount of dried, sweetened cranberries may be substituted for the dried tart cherries.