Our mother gave us a bag of dried cherries the other day. She'd picked them up for herself, but after tasting them she decided that they weren't for eating. They were for baking, she said, and while she doesn't bake herself, she loves it when we do. In search of sustenance to get us through apple-picking last weekend (yes, it's apple season again!), we turned to those cherries at last. What goes better than cherries and chocolate, after all?

These cookies are so chewy that they tend to fall apart. They sure are delicious, though. We recommend making them for friends who elevate taste over beauty, the sort of group where everyone just breaks off pieces of cookie until they're all gone.

Chewy Cherry Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2/3 C packed dark brown sugar
2/3 C granulated sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 C chocolate chips
1 C dried cherries, cut into thirds

Preheat your oven to 375°.

Beat together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar until nice and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat or stir in the flower until just barely incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried cherries. Relax, your work is nearly done.

Place tablespoons of dough on parchment paper covered baking sheets, about 2" apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until done, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through.

Let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, until you can safely transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

These cookies have a tendency to fall apart, but so be it. They're still really tasty.

Shopping Guide

We strongly recommend purchasing all dried fruit at Sahadi's, on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. They're high quality, inexpensive, and sold by some of the friendliest gentlemen we know.