Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Rum Soaked Cherries

With all the baking of sweets I have been doing lately, you would think I have some serious cravings.  Not true, actually.  If you can believe, I barely eat any of it, if any at all.  I do occasionally indulge in a bit of batter or steal a chocolate chip (or 12) at times but throw me a side of beef and I will dive for that first.  I know, strange, right?  My Dad may disown me since he is the King of All Things Sugar but I will take my chances.

One of my all time favorite cookies is the basic chocolate chip cookie.  I find it hard to resist at so I wanted to find a way to kick it up even more.  I found this recipe that incorporates dried cherries, which on their own are perfect, and lends a delectable addition to the dark chocolate chunks.  Even so, I wanted to take it even further.  So I soaked the cherries for a few hours in rum and came up with awesome results.  I didn't have overnight to soak them as I read yields the best flavor but a few hours won't disappoint, believe me.  I used high quality dark chocolate for these as well.  They turn out slightly crisp and subtly sweet.  So if you are looking to jazz up the average chocolate chip cookie, here is your chance.  (Yes, the batter tastes amazing as well!)

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (be sure to use a high-quality chocolate with more than 60% cacao)

1 cup dried cherries (about 6 ounces), coarsely chopped

(I used about 1-1/2 cups of rum to soak the cherries for about 3 hours) 

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate and cherries.

Scoop by heaping tablespoonful onto two nonstick or greased cookie sheets. Bake until golden and chewy, about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets after six minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool and repeat the process with the remaining dough.