June!

I started out wanting to post a cheesecake recipe for my recipe this month, but realized the awful truth: There's no way I have the time to make a cheesecake right now, and I'm sure you're all facing the same predicament! So instead, I'm posting a drop cookie recipe that should be pretty easy to make. Plus it combines my two favorite tastes - white chocolate and cherries! One tip is to make sure you use the parchment paper and not a non-stick pan. I don't know for sure if it's only for the gluten-free version, but supposedly the cookies will brown too quickly or burn without the paper.

White Chocolate & Cherry Drop Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour (GF blend)
1 tsp xanthan gum (probably not necessary in nonGF versions)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3.5 oz. white chocolate bar chopped in 1/4 in. chunks
1/4 cup dried cherries

1) Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2) Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar with mixer on low until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum and beat until just blended. (Note to non-GF people: You may not need all the flour, so add that in bit by bit so it doesn't get too doughy) Stir in white chocolate chunks and cherries.
3) Using a wet tablespoon, drop balls of dough at least 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Spray bottom of drinking glass with cooking spray and flatten cookies. Place sheets on middle rack.
4) Bake 12 to 15 minutes. My book suggests rotating sheets between upper and lower middle racks, but you might just be fine if it's exactly in the middle (but I don't know for sure!) Cool cookies 2-3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store, tightly covered, for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Enjoy the start of the summer, people! :)