Cherry Goat Cheese Cookies

That's right: Cherry Goat Cheese Cookies. Don't freak out. They'll be just fine.

Cherry Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups bread flour
1/2 baking soda
1/2 salt
1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cherry preserves
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tsp almond extract

1 cup dried cherries, slightly rehydrated in a bit of bourbon, if you like

In a sauce pan over medium high heat, melt the butter until it stops foaming (however, do not let it brown). Let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Mix the butter, sugars, and preserves together until homogenous. Add the egg, egg yolk, and almond extract and cream on medium speed for 1 minute or until creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Finally, stir in the cherries. Chill dough for at least an hour. Drop by the quarter cup onto a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 15-17 until just beginning to brown around the edges.

Goat Cheese Glaze

2oz goat cheese
2 tbsp cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 confectioner's sugar

Using a whisk, combine the goat cheese and 1 tbsp of cream to make a loose, smooth mixture. Add in the confectioner's sugar. If the frosting is too stiff, add a little more cream. I kept mine the consistency of a thick glaze. Spread on the warm cookies allowing for it to completely cover them. Cool completely, allowing the glaze to stiffen.

When I eat goat cheese and cherry preserves, a wonderful alchemy of flavors happens: the tanginess of the goat cheese mirrors the slight tartness of the cherry, and the sweetness of the jam complements the earthiness of the cheese. That combination of flavors, but in the form of a cookie, was my goal. These cookies, in all honesty, do not mimic that affect. However, they are still incredibly tasty in their own right. Rather than cherry goat cheese cookies, these are more like cherry pop-tart cookies, which is a different kind of alchemy altogether.