Is it just me, or did summer seem to fly by? I’m sure I probably say this every year right around Labor Day, but for some reason, this summer seemed to move particularly fast.  Though normally I’m a bit sad to see summer close up shop, the crisp, perfect fall air that we’re starting to experience in New York is getting me very excited for the coming months, particularly for all the amazing things I can make in the kitchen.  If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big advocate for cooking and baking with fresh, local ingredients when I can – and in order to do that, most produce has to be in season.  Of course I love all the fruits and veggies that summer provides, but most of my favorites actually come into season in the fall:  crisp apples, sweet acorn squash, and tart cranberries are just a few ingredients I’m already dreaming up recipes for.  

But before we jump the gun on fall ingredients, let’s have one last summer fling with berries, shall we?  Do you remember my fleeting romance with sour cherries?  It had to be short-lived, because unfortunately, sour cherries seasons can sometimes only last on the farm stands a few days.  But don’t worry, there are ways to hold on longer to  your most loved ingredients all year round – most berries freeze really well, and even better, they can make for unbelievable homemade jam.

Since I firmly believe you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie variations, this recipe for Sour Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Sour Cherry jam can be made all year round, and will always remind you of the sweet summer months no matter how cold it is outside.  So whip up a batch now, while summer winds down, to remember all the good times you had these past few months.  And then whip a batch in a few weeks time, when temperatures drop and days get shorter, so you’ll have a sweet reminder that summer will be back soon enough.

Note: Most years, my mom makes homemade sour cherry jam, which is still the best thing I have ever put on toast (I swear, even better than Nutella).  This year, the sour cherry trees were picked clean before we could get our hands on enough cherries to make jam, so I had to resort to store-bought.  If you can’t find sour cherry jam in the store, feel free to use your favorite, strawberry, cherry, blueberry, or even marmalade jam.  The fruitier and chunkier the better, in my humble opinion.

Sour Cherry Chocolate chip cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Makes about 24 cookies 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cherry jam, or any jam (preferably with fruit) you have on hand

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two cookies sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg for two more minutes.  Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined.  Mix in 1/4 cup of the jam until incorporated.  On low speed, slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined.  With a wooden spoon, swirl in the remaining 1/4 cup of jam so that is is streaked throughout, but not totally incorporated (you want to see streaks of red).

Spoon the dough onto your baking sheets by rounded teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon if you want smaller bite size cookies).  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges, do not over-bake. Allow to cool for a minute or two, and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely.  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk or, even better, cherry liqueur. Make sure you get help with clean-up.