Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Walnuts

A twist on a classic that no one will refuse…

Because our ranch is so far out in the country, there are no bakeries, no quaint cafes, and no patisseries where we can pick up something special for after our meal or for a morning treat. But we really don’t miss them.

Long ago, I decided that the only baked goods we would have in the house would be the ones I made. And in doing so, I skip over all of the grocery store bakery pies, packaged cookies, frozen cakes etc. that are superior in convenience, but inferior in flavor, and experience. Frozen cookie dough never perfumes the house the way freshly made cookies do.

I don’t make cookies every week, and even less so now that the boys are gone. But when they come home, I usually throw together a batch of cookies to have on hand. Most of the time I don’t bake all of the dough, leaving some dough for baking a smaller, fresh batch later. Sometimes I send the dough back with them to their apartment. They can bake a fresh batch of cookies there, and change the aroma from whatever young student’s apartments smell like (I’m thinking old socks…)

This is a simple variation on the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that we all know. And, I always use real butter, which make the cookies even more aromatic. I am absolutely crazy about dried cherries, and use them whenever I can, and their sour tartness bounces off the bitterness of the walnuts, and the sweet richness of the chocolate chunks. These cookies never last that long.

I think this recipe would work well as a cookie bar, but I haven’t ever tried that. I like round cookies. Individually shaped cookies always feel a little more special, like it was made just for you. And that is something you could never get at the grocery store bakery.