Chocolate Cherry Cookies {Week 7 of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats}

Don't you love it when you throw odds and ends into a bowl and get something spectacular?  That is exactly how I ended up with this cookie recipe.  I really wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, but I didn't have quite enough dark chocolate on hand and I only had one stick of salted butter (which I had bought by accident and had been trying to use up for what seemed like an eternity) in the fridge.   As I was pondering my options, which initially seemed scarce, a bag of white chocolate chips and a bag of sunflower seeds caught my attention.    Suddenly, I knew what I had to do.

The result?  Perfectly sweet and salty cookies, with a crisp exterior and a soft, chewy interior, and sour cherries to boot.  This accidental cookie was so good that they will most certainly be gracing my Christmas cookie table.  Not only do they taste delicious, but the red cherries give them a festive look that plain old chocolate chip cookies lack. 

Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Yield: 14 large cookies

1 cup, 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large eggs, at room temperature
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
6 oz white chocolate, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
1/2 cup dried sour cherries
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1. Whisk together dry ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.  Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients in 1/2 cup increments, beating after every addition.
4. Stir in chocolate, cherries, and sunflower seeds.
5. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of three hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.  Drop the dough onto the sheets in about two-rounded-tablespoon-sized mounds in order to get large cookies.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet for at least three minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool.

Thank you to Brenda at Menu Planning Magic, for hosting this hop!