White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

These cookies are perfect for the cherry lovers.  I love anything with cherries.  But what I don't love is the commercial maraschino cherry that is loaded with artificial coloring.  To my surprise I found that there are natural maraschino cherries that taste just like the real thing, without all of the added coloring and dyes.  That is what I used for this recipe.  If you cannot find these in your area, try substituting the with dry cherries, and instead of using the maraschino juice, just use regular cherry juice in it's place.   Also, I like these cookies to be soft and gooey so I bake them on the lower side of the recommended baking time.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup natural maraschino cherries
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice (from the bottle)
2  bags  white chocolate chips (12 oz. packages)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter with a mixer until it's light and fluffy. Next add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture changes to a lighter shade of yellow, about 2-3 minutes. Begin removing the stems off the cherries and roughly chop them, making sure to save the juice they're packed in.  Next add the eggs, vanilla extract and cherry juice to the butter and sugar bowl and blend well.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, mixing well.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the wet mixture making sure to scrape way at the bottom of the bowl- I sometimes forget this part!   Now add in the cherries and chocolate chips and combine well, making sure you have cherries and chocolate evenly throughout the dough.  Scoop the mixture with a spoon and drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Bake for 9-12 minutes and cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a plate.