Chocolate Gingerbread Drops

I admit that I'm known to claim that all of my Christmas cookies are my "favorites," but these chocolate gingerbread drops may actually be among my real favorites.  I love chocolate, I love gingerbread, and the cherries add the perfect zing to pull the two flavors together.  So good!

The recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens from a few years back.  (You can find it here.)  I typically use a heavy hand when adding the chocolate and cherries, because I like my cookies with lots of extra goodies. 

A couple of tips:  (As always) use good chocolate, and don't chop it so finely that you lose the chunkiness.  Use tart cherries.  And, be careful not to overcook them, or they'll be too dry. 

Operation Christmas Cookies

Every year, I make a big platter of cookies for each of  my friends, neighbors, and a select set of co-workers.  The cookie platters typically have about 50 cookies on them, with around a dozen or so different varieties of cookies.  They are very impressive (if I do say so myself)!  It usually takes me a couple of weeks to make all of the cookies, and it ends up taking a whole day to assemble and deliver the platters. 

I officially kicked off the 2010 operation yesterday with two types of cookies.  On the left are thin-mint type cookies from Martha Stewart, and on the right are Martha's cashew-caramel cookies.  (I promise all of the cookies aren't Martha Stewart's!).  I try to balance old and new varieties and holiday cookies and all-time favorites, but the recipients frequently ask for me to keep certain cookies in active rotation.  Both of these are ones that have been requested.

Stay tuned to see what comes next!