4-C's Cookies

I'm one of those people who has, what I like to call, FOTB (Food On The Brain). Some people have Baby On The Brain (I have that too, but waiting for Chris to pop the question first...heehee), but my mind is constantly honed in on food just about 24/7!

I'm really not exaggerating when I say that my mind is going a.million.miles.a.minute - all.the.time. And a majority of it is focused on what my next meal will be, what time I'm going to make dinner, what I'd like to bake next, what I think I may want tomorrow, what recipes I've seen recently that caught my eye that I need to look up again...I think you get the point.

But one thing I do spend quite a bit of time working on in my head is coming up with new recipes (to cook or bake)! Once in a while, I'll get an idea of something that sounds good - a unique combination of flavors or ingredients. I'll rack my brain trying to figure what is out there that would be comparable to what's in my head. Sometimes I find it and sometimes I don't. It's the times that I don't when my creativity kicks in to overdrive!

This weekend, for example, was one of those moments! Chris and I were being lazy Saturday afternoon, laying around and watching movies. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that I needed to make a new batch of granola, but I wanted to do something different. I was craving a combination of chocolate and cherries and then coconut popped into the mix and then I fell in love! I thought a granola mixture of the three would be uber yummy until.....I started thinking of a name for it. I could call it 3-C's Granola! But wait, I could make them into cookies. Yes, cookies would be much better. Chocolate cookies, in fact, would be perfect. And they shall be named 4-C's Cookies (Chocolate cookie base with Cherries, Coconut and what else, more Chocolate)! The granola will have to wait for another time...

4-C's Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 cup Dried Cherries
1 1/4 cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions
In a large bowl beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture into the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

Add in the cherries, coconut and chocolate chips; mix into dough until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop a tablespoon full of dough and roll into balls using hands. Place cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 18 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top