Christmas Cookies Part 1- Vanilla Cherry Chocolate

Christmas cookies are a must, right? I honestly wasn't a huge cookie maker for Christmas until this year. Last year I made some cookies for Christmas day, but they turned out to be eh. Then I made some more for a Christmas get-together, and while those were wayyyy better, I still never really got into the Christmas cookie making thing. You know, making crap tons of them, giving them out, having after dinner, putting them out for Santa... Never.

This year I made three different cookies. The first of these cookies is a Vanilla Cherry Chocolate cookie I saw on Ask Aida. These cookies were definitely good, a bit sweet for me, but definitely a hit!

I was definitely excited about making them, but when I read some of the reviews, I was disappointed in people. I know that certain people's preferences are different than other people's, but that doesn't mean that people should tell someone their recipe is wrong. When you read the list of ingredients, yes it does look similar to a Tollhouse recipe. But the difference here is the heavy vanilla and low brown sugar to white sugar ratio. This is not a Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie! This is a sweet, chewy, fruity and yes somewhat chocolaty cookie. So to tell Aida her recipe is wrong was just plain nasty. Say you didn't like it and why, but don't tell the woman she messed up the recipe b/c she didn't.

Sorry, I needed to get that out. People's reviews are just plain nasty sometimes.

Vanilla Cherry Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1 cup coarsely chopped dried sweet cherries (Use tart cherries if you like them, this is definitely a sweet cookie and using tart might help cut back on the sweetness)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until evenly combined; set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat together the butter and sugars over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and cherries until they are uniformly distributed.

Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Bake until the cookie edges are golden brown, about 14 minutes. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets on racks for 3 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining dough. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely before serving.

I sprinkled some extra milk chocolate shavings on top of the cookie before baking them. I like the little bit of extra chocolately goodness :) These cookies were definitely chewy and delicious. I admit probably a bit too sweet for me as I was really only able to have a couple, but everyone else really seemed to like them, so it was a good success for me!