I love white chocolate. I love pecans. I love dried cherries. So when it came time to bake cookies for my kids Christmas goody packages, I figured I couldn’t go too far afield if I baked a cookie that included these ingredients that I personally adore. After all, we would be eating these cookies too. And therein lies my tale of woe.

I liked these cookies way too much. So instead of leaving the cookies in their lovely Christmas tin, I could not resist. I tried. I really did. But they kept calling to me. And I simply had to succumb to their siren song.

So suffice it to say – these are really tasty cookies. Plus they pack well, and stay fresh for days and days. In fact, I made so many of these cookies, we still have some in our cookie jar. And they are still delicious. I should know. I had a couple for dessert last evening.

So if you too love white chocolate, dried cherries, and toasted pecans – bake up a batch of these little darlings at your earliest convenience. Take some to work with you. Share some with a neighbor. Prepare a batch for a bake sale. Just do whatever it takes to get most of them out of your house! Because they are truly addictive. Happy baking.

• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt 
• 2 c. good white chocolate chips (Ghirardelli or Guittard)
• 1½ c. dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• 1 c. toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then beat in the white chocolate chips, dried cherries, and chopped pecans.

Using a small ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough 2-inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. When completely cooled store in an airtight container.