Black Forest Cookies

I made these cookies the other day and I find it quite amusing how dark they are. My children love them and I have put them in a huge cookie jar for easy access… ( I love to display baked goods. It looks so cozy.)

The recipe is from Martha Stewart Holiday Baking 2002 edition.  I have changed it a tiny bit

Preheat oven to 350 F 

Combine: 

1  3/4 cups flour, 

1  1/4 cocoa powder,

2 tsp baking powder and

1/4 salt in a mixing bowl and set aside

Cream

1  1/4 cups sugar and

3/4 cups brown sugar with

1  1/4 cups butter.

Add 2 eggs and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

Add the flour mixture, stir until combined, then add

1  1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips and

1  1/2 cups dried sour cherries, firmly packed

If you do not have any sour cherries, cranberries would work as well. But do not use raisins, they are too sweet. You could also add 1/2 cup of roasted, then ground hazelnuts

The dough is quite stiff.  I use a small ice-cream scoop to drop it onto the baking sheet.

Bake for about 11 minutes. Makes about 36 cookies