Dark Chocolate Cherry Pecan Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts until fluffy. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until well combined. Reducing the mixer to low speed, blend in the chocolate chips, toasted pecans and dried cherries. If you’re using a hand mixer, you may want to stir them in by hand, as the dough will be thick.

Drop golfball-size dough balls onto parchment or Silpat lined sheets, approximately 3″ apart. (Hint: I like to use an ice cream scoop for uniform size cookies.) Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending how ‘done’ you like them. For soft chewy cookies, bake closer to 10 minutes. For cookies that are soft in the center and crispy around the edges, bake closer to the 12 minute mark.

Remove pans from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove them to a sheet of parchment or waxed paper to finish cooling. Makes approximately 36 cookies, which can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks.

Best served with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.