Cherry and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s another treat I wasn’t going to blog about, but were too good to share.
I’ve been going through stacks and stacks of recipes from food magazines  I’ve collected over the past year or so. Pretty much just creating more stacks for some sort of order. I found this recipe from the  July 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. It comes from the R.S.V.P./Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes section and is not online.

The recipe comes from Icing on the Cake Bakery of Los Gatos, California and is a souped up version of a chocolate chip cookie with alcohol-soaked dried cherries and both semisweet and white chocolate chips. The cherries take this cookie over the edge. YUM.

From Bon Appetit July 2008 and Icing on the Cake

• 1 cup dried tart cherries (about 5 1/2 ounces)
• 1/3 cup cherry liquor (I used kirsch)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of sugar  (thanks to Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin for pointing out my omission. )
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (about 6 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (about 6 1/2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Bring cherries, cherry liquor, and 2 tablespoons water to boil in small sauce pan. Remove from heat and let cherries soak for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry; set aside.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in  a medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs and extracts, 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 one sheet at a time  until edges are light golden brown 11-13 minutes, turning baking sheets halfway through cooking time. Transfer to rack and cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Thank you to everyone that wished me luck and gave me support yesterday while running my half-marathon. I finished with a good time (for me) 2 hours, 18 minutes. I’m sore as all-heck today, but doing well.