Traverse City Inspired Cookies

Anyone and everyone who knows me knows one things: I LOOOOOVE COOKIES!!! Russian tea cookies, oatmeal cranberry cookies, chocolate chip cookies...yum yum.

So the other night I got a craving - a cookie craving. But this time, I wanted to make something a little extra special. So I went to the cupboard and found the perfect extra ingredient: Traverse City Dried Cherries. I just chopped up about a 3/4 cup and threw them into a chocolate chip cookie batter. The little pieces peeking out of the batter crisped up a little and were so tasty. I use Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chips because I love that they are a little bigger than the normal size chip and the chocolate has a deeper chocolate flavor and are less "sugery."

My favorite part of making cookies is the beautiful color of sugar and butter mixed together in perfect harmony. My second favorite part is adding the dry ingredients to the wet and watching the delicious dough form for real. Then...it's NIBBLING time!

These cookies are the perfect pair to an ice cold glass of milk. Although I must admit...I am a sucker for cookie dough over the actual baked cookie. So I am usually a little ill by the time it comes to the dipping part...hehe :)