Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies

It's Wednesday, and to be honest I don't have much to share.  Work is work, the dogs are silly, and it's darn hot out here in the desert.  Summers in California were hot, but not as hot as here.  In fact, I remember some California Summer days, where the sea breeze would reach us all the way in the valley and the mornings would be downright cold.  It was on those Summer days, as teenagers, that my sister and I, still in pajamas, neglecting Mom's chore list, would decide to heat up the kitchen and bake some chocolate chip cookies.  She measured and mixed, while I talked and washed the dishes (I wasn't such a good cook in those days).  And by lunchtime we would have eaten a few too many cookies and done a few too few chores.  Those days were the best!

Last Saturday morning I paid homage to that memory, by baking some cookies (and neglecting some chores).  These are a little different from the standard Nestle Tollhouse ones my sis and I would make, but they were almost as tasty, especially with the surprise burst of flavor from the dried cherries.  Since I'm the sole cookie consumer in the house, I mixed up a full batch of this recipe, but then stored half of the raw dough in the freezer for another Saturday morning.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies
2/3 cup bleached flour
1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 scant cup semi-sweet (or white chocolate) chips
1 scant cup dried tart cherries

Set oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Sift together flour, whole wheat flour, salt and baking soda.  In another bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and sugar until well blended.  Then stir in egg, yogurt, and vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients, one cup at a time, into the wet mixture.  Repeat until all dry ingredients have been combined.  Then, using a fork, gently mix in the chocolate chips and cherries.  Using a tablespoon, scoop dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are slightly golden. Pin It