Chocolate Chunk Cherry Cookie

If you like chocolate, you will love these cookies.  They are filled with chocolate chunks, both dark and white chocolate and to make them more appealing, I drizzle them with melted white chocolate.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup      Dried Cherries coarsely chopped (you can substitute cranberries)
1-3/4 Cups Unbleached All-purpose Flour
1/4  Cup     good quality Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp        Baking Soda
1/4 tsp        Salt
3/4 Cup      Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup         Brown Sugar
2 TBSP      Corn Syrup
2                 Eggs
1 Cup         Dark Chocolate coarsely chopped (170 g)
1/2 Cup      White Chocolate coarsely chopped (90 g)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl soak the cherries in hot water for 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  (If no children to eat these perhaps try soaking them in Brandy)

In another bowl combine dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Set aside.

In yet another bowl, cream the softened butter with brown sugar and corn syrup.  Add the eggs and beat until smooth.  (mine remained a bit lumpy no matter how long I beat it, but turned out ok).  With a spatula fold in the dry ingredients and chocolates and cherries.

With a 2 TBSP ice cream scoop form balls.  (I used a regular table spoon so mine were not perfect little balls) and place on baking sheet.**

With oven rack in middle position bake for about 8 - 9 minutes.  Cookies will be baked on the edges but still very soft in the centre (they firm up while resting).  Let cook on the baking sheet before removing.

When cold, I drizzled them with melted white chocolate.

**ALTERNATELY:  You can freeze the raw dough on the cookie sheet for 4 hours then cook for about 12 minutes OR freeze the balled dough on a cookie sheet and when frozen, transfer to a plastic bag and cook when you need cookies.  Good for make ahead during the Christmas season.