Description
Chewy cookies with semi-sweet chocolate chips, tart dried cherries, and optional walnuts or pecans. A sweet and tart treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars: In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add the eggs and vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, cherries, and nuts (if using): Gently fold in the chocolate chips, chopped dried cherries, and chopped walnuts or pecans (if using).
- Chill the dough (optional, but recommended): Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Prepare the baking sheets: Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop the dough: Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still slightly soft.
- Cool the cookies: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use high-quality chocolate chips for the best flavor.
- Adjust the sweetness by reducing the amount of sugar slightly.
- Experiment with different extracts, such as almond extract or peppermint extract.
- Make them gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- Add a glaze made from powdered sugar and milk for an extra touch of sweetness.
- Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months. Scoop the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, simply bake the frozen dough balls as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- For chewier cookies: Use more brown sugar than granulated sugar.
- For crispier cookies: Use more granulated sugar than brown sugar.
- Don’t overmix! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough cookies. Mix until the flour is just incorporated, and then stop.
- Cookies are too flat: This can be caused by using softened butter that is too warm, not chilling the dough, or overmixing the dough. Make sure to use softened butter that is still cool to the touch, chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, and avoid overmixing.
- Cookies are too dry: This can be caused by using too much flour or overbaking the cookies. Make sure to measure the flour accurately and avoid overbaking.
- Cookies are too hard: This can be caused by overbaking the cookies. Make sure to bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still slightly soft.
- Cookies are not spreading: This can be caused by using too much flour or not enough butter. Make sure to measure the flour accurately and use the correct amount of butter.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 9-11 minutes