Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I feel a bit sorry for these cookies. But I keep holding them up to a standard they cannot possibly attain. My local (absolutely heavenly) bakery makes a chocolate chip sour cherry cookie that is to die for. It's like a regular chocolate chip cookie, except it has large dark chocolate chunks, delicious sour cherries and a somewhat initially alarming, but ultimately amazing sprinkle of sea salt on top. And these are simply not the same. When I took my first bite, I hadn't even made the connection between these and my adored bakery treats, but as soon as I did, oh, I felt sorry.
Quite honestly though, the originals are so good, that even a shadow of their deliciousness is pretty impressive, and these are indeed delicious. Since you probably don't have prior prejudices you'll probably enjoy them very much indeed.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES
from Cooking Light (for once, not fattened up)

INGREDIENTS:
1 C flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C sugar
1/3 C butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
2/3 C dried tart cherries
3 T semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped semisweet chocolate bar) USE GOOD CHOCOLATE!

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Cream the sugar and butter together in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat until incorporated. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar while mixing well. When that is well mixed, fold in the cherries and chocolate bits. I like to do the cherries and chocolates by hand even if I use my stand mixer for the rest, in order to keep them from being overly smushed. Roll into small balls (about a tablespoon's worth) Place on a lightly greased cooking sheet (or a cooking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat mat so you don't have to grease it). Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until set (in my fast bake always runs hot oven, this was only 9 minutes, so be wary!) Let them cool on the sheet pan for five minutes, then transfer to a rack and bake your next batch. In a complete shocker, the recipe claims to make about 30 cookies, and it actually made about 30 cookies!