And now, you should run to your nearest WalMart and buy cherry chips. I have been searching for cherry chips for a. long. time. and finally found them at WalMart. I think it's purely a seasonal thing for them to be sold there, and I've seen them on the baking endcaps. These cookies make me happy, and in light of everything that's going on in the world and in my life right now, happiness is good. Pink makes people smile. Pink makes things better. Or feel better at least.
My 10th birthday was spent in Mancos, Colorado, which is right by Mesa Verde (love!). My uncle was getting married, and his wife is from Mancos (which also is near Durango). I remember a lot of things about that fun week, but one of the things I remember is eating a cherry chip cookie. It was pink and delicious, and at a time when I absolutely loved Tweety Bird, these cookies were the bomb. It's ok to say that because I'm talking about the past. I thought I could only get these cookies in Southwest Colorado and eventually forgot about them...until about five years later when I discovered them at a local, statewide grocery store, King Soopers (also known as City Market). The heavens opened and I sang with delight when I tasted a cherry chip cookie again. And now, after finding cherry chips, I realize that what makes cherry chip cookies purely are the cherry chips. I don't need to add pink food coloring to make them awesome. And I really kept them as simple as possible. I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and substituted cherry chips and vanilla chips for the chocolate. I dare to say they are better than the original because they are soft and scratch made. And scratch made cookies make me happy, too.
Cherry Chip Cookies Recipe
Makes about 36 cookies
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3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 cups flour
1 cup cherry chips
1 cup vanilla or white chips
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl of a mixer, cream the shortening and sugars until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), and add in the flour until just incorporated. Stir in the chips.
Form the dough into one-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets about two inches apart from each other. Bake for 9 minutes until barely golden brown. Remove from oven, let rest for one minute on the pan, and then remove to a flat surface (I place them on my clean counter or aluminum foil on my counter). Let them cool.