Michigan Treasure Cookies

(Click to enlarge) OK, so on one of the hottest days of the summer thus far, what do I decide to do? Bake Cookies. My house has no central air, and the only A/C's are in my bedroom and den. So, I decide to fire up the oven to 350 degrees. Not terribly bright this one. But I could not resist.

I am baking Michigan Treasure Cookies. This is a new recipe for me. This cookie is a candidate for the official State Cookie for the state of Michigan. I read about it in last week's Detroit Free Press. The back story on the recipe and the fight for official status is in this article (which includes the recipe): COOKING UP A STATE SYMBOL: Children mix cherries, chocolate and politics to seek recognition for their Michigan cookie.

The cookies are essentially chocolate chips and dried cherries in a chocolate cookie dough. The recipe was pretty easy and the results are pretty delicious. After letting them cool for a few moments, breaking one open reveals lots of ooey, gooey, Ghirardelli goodness, along with a whiff of the dried cherries. The positive flavor combination of chocolate and cherries is well known [Disclaimer: I must admit, I am NOT a fan of cherry pie, or most fresh cherries in particluar (I do enjoy the Rainier variety)], but the dried fruit, along with the semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa based dough, is mind boggling. These are really good, so I guess it is worth the hundred or so degrees of heat in my poor kitchen. These would go perfect with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. However, even I am not crazy enough to brew coffee on a night like tonight, and there is no milk in the house, so I will skip this particular part of the enjoyment until a later time.