The Cookie Monster Attack - Cherry and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I absolutely LOVE cookies so I hardly ever bake them. I know this sounds a little strange BUT if I bake the cookies, I will be the first one in them, thinking okay, you can have two. . .that's it. The next thing I know, I may have eaten 4 and thinking why the heck did I do this to myself? Then there is the cookies for breakfast thing. If I eat a few cookies for breakfast, then I have the rest of the day to work it off, right? Well my job is very physical so this would be right if it meant that when I came home that afternoon, I behaved and didn't get into them again. See what I mean? I think I should join a cookie anonymous group or something. . .

I opened up a Bon Appetit, the July issue, and there at the front part of the magazine a reader requested a recipe, from the restaurant "Icing on the Cake", for the cherry and chocolate chip cookies. The recipe calls for dried tart pie cherries, white chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The combination intrigued me and I have been thinking about baking these cookies for 3 days now. Tonight, I just couldn't take it anymore. I have to tell you these cookies are delicious~! Not overly sweet and the combination of tart cherries with the chocolates is perfect.

Another great aspect of this recipe is the ability to change flavors by maybe omitting the white chocolate chips and adding bittersweet or milk chocolate chips. Now all that is necessary is a tall glass of ice cold milk to drink between bites of cookie =D.

Cherry and Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Bon Appetit July 2008)

Ingredients:

1 c. dried tart cherries

1/3 c. cherry liqueur (such as Cherry Heering)

2 T. water

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. (packed) golden brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. almond extract

1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)

1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring cherries, cherry liqueur, and 2 Tablespoons water to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and let soak 15 minutes. Drain cherries; pat dry.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs and both extracts and beat to blend. Add flour mixture and beat on low just to blend. Stir in cherries and all chocolate chips. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until edges are light golden, turning baking sheets halfway through cooking, about 13 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

Using a small ice cream scoop made the job so much easier and less messy.

The cookies come out golden brown, after 13 minutes of baking!

Taking a bite, I get both the cherries and chocolate; delicious!