Last night, as I finally got the chance to watch Julie and Julia, I was brought back to the exact moment when I realized that I would have a lifelong love affair with food. I was six. Saturday morning cartoons were over, and Saturday morning turned to Saturday afternoon. After the Joy of Painting, The French Chef came on. I was immediately hooked and from that moment on, watched cooking shows every chance I got. While I loved The Smurfs and Jem and the Holograms just like the next kid, the creative process of cooking completely enthralled me. My friends would ask, “How can you just watch food?!?” (This was pre-the TV Food Network!). But for me, watching Julia Child (and Jacques Pepin and Martin Yan and Mary Ann Esposito and Jeff Smith) was like watching a play or a football game or a concert. Anyway, this has little to do with the cookie recipe below, but I wanted to share … and to ask, if you too have a love affair with culinary expression, when did you know that food was ‘the one?’

Chocolate-White Chocolate Coconut-Cherry-Pistachio Cookies

1 cup earth balance softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup baking powder
2 tablespoons almond milk
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1 cup chopped salted and roasted pistachios
2 bars of white chocolate-coconut Lindt bars-chopped

*Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
*Cream earth balance, sugars, and vanilla. Beat in egg, milk, and cocoa powder. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry to creamed mixture and stir.

*Chop dried cherries, pistachios, and chocolate bars. Add to cookie dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

*Drop cookie dough onto cookie sheet, leaving space in between for spreading. Bake 8-12 minutes.

P.S… This cookie is great, but the name is waaaaaaaaaay too long. If you can think of a shorter suggestion, please leave a comment! 🙂