SPIRITED CHERRY COOKIES

Always fun to have some sweet, fruit-filled cookies for the holidays.  Even more fun when the fruit has some extra spirited flavor.  The flavor comes from the cherries having a nice warm bath in bourbon or rum.  Dried cherries are perfect for this—but if all you can find are big jars of maraschino cherries, those will work fine too.  This is everyone’s basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, with cherries instead of chocolate.  The extract flavorings ramp up the cherry flavor.  Of course, you can toss in some chocolate chips too—the cookies will be stuffed with good tastes. 

• 2 cups cherries, dried as is, or soft cherries, drained, roughly chopped and patted dry
• ½ cup bourbon or rum
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda

In a small saucepan heat cherries and bourbon or rum to a very low simmer for about 10 minutes—let stand while you make cookie batter. 

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
• With hand or stand mixer, beat butter with sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color.
• Add eggs, almond extract and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in fruit and chocolate chips, if using.
• Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are golden

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