- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In the first "dry ingredient" bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. This step is easy.
- Soften the butter by defrosting it in the microwave for a good 30 seconds.
- In a second bowl that you can run the mixer in, add the sugar and butter. Mash the butter into the sugar, and then blend until there is no big butter chunks. This whole process will take a while.
- Add vanilla and egg. Beat well. This step is easy.
- Here comes the pain-in-the-a** part -- With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture with a big spoon. This means add a couple of spoonful, blend until the dry stuff disappears, and then repeat. This process gets really hard about halfway through, when all the batter will stick to mixer, and you have to keep spooning everything off the mixer just so you can mix again. Beat just until combined -- Meaning the moment that you are really, really relieved because you don't see any more dry stuff in the bowl.
- Fold in chocolate chips. This isn't easy either, because the batter is very dry and chunky. Try using two spoons so you can break up the batter to incorporate the chocolate chip.
- Cover two cookie sheets with foil and lightly cover with cooking spray. This will save you dishes time later.- Divide the batter into 20 to 30 cookies, 2 inches apart. Depending on how big you like them. Spooning doesn't really work, just use your finger like you are making rice balls for sushi. To each cookie, add 2 to 4 cherries, depending how much your audience like tart cherries.
- Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven; cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
- Enjoy a couple of these wonderful, chewy, chocolate cherry cookies. Enjoy how the tartness of the cherries contrasts with the cocoa and semisweet chocolate chips. Then go take a nap. You'll need it.
(Original recipe from Cooking Light. Notice how the recipe reads like it's so easy.)
