The first time I fell in love, it was with cookies. My admirer made me homemade Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies and gave them to me at my work. I was a very chatty twenty-year-old barista who was left speechless. They were delicious and I made him a thank-you card. For the next week, I spent all of my free time in the coffee shop waiting for him to come in so I could give it to him. When he did, he sat down, we talked, and from that moment I was so in love I couldn’t breathe. I was young and happy, and as the years moved forward I just knew we would grow old together. And then we didn’t. He decided he wanted to be old with someone else. The heartbreak that accompanies the loss of first love is utterly devastating and hurts in a bright, raw, searing sort of way. Eventually, as everyone does, I grew and changed and could see that our end was a blessing, but I didn’t stop wanting Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies. So I made my own. This is the first recipe I ever wrote. It was inspired by love and heartbreak and the desire to leave every experience a little bit better than how I came to it.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Step 2
Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yogurt or milk and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed. Add the egg and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture, and mix on medium-low until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries by hand. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Using a 1-inch (2.5-cm) cookie scoop, scoop and drop dough balls onto parchment paper–lined baking sheets, about eight per sheet, and bake until the edges turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. (You can make this dough ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 6 weeks.)
Chef's Notes
Plant-based Version
Replace the butter with margarine. Replace the yogurt with soy yogurt or almond milk. Replace the egg with 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds soaked in 1 1/2 tablespoons water for 5 minutes. Make sure to check that the chocolate chips are vegan. Many of them are. All the other steps and cooking times remain the same.
Recipe from Damaris Phillips’ cookbook, Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy: Down-Home Classics for Vegetarians (And The Meat Eaters Who Love Them).
