Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day, ya'll! I hope your day has been full of family, friends, food, and fun. Here in Kentucky, it's been raining pretty much all day, but that hasn't stopped the fireworks or the barbeques! David and I went over to my sister and brother-in-law's house to hang out with them for awhile. We had a great time...hotdogs, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, and ice cream for dinner/dessert, games, and fireworks. Earlier this week, I wanted to make something a little patriotic to celebrate today, but it didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped.
These were supposed to be red, white, and blue cookies. They're sugar cookies with dried cherries, blueberries, and white chocolate chips. Except the cherries looked just like blueberries...really dark blue. And the white chocolate chips didn't really show up that well. But they sure were good! I started the recipe with this sugar cookie recipe that I found at Joy the Baker's website. Then I just added in the goodies until the proportions looked right.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Blueberries, Cherries, and White Chocolate Chips

adapted from a recipe by The Pastry Queen

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sugaring tops

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 oz. dried blueberries

6 oz. dried cherries

4-6 oz. white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable oil. It may not fully incorporate with the butter, but that’s ok. Add the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed until each ingredient is completely incorporated.

Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt all at once using a wooden spoon or the mixer set on low. Add the blueberries, cherries, and white chocolate chips. Mix just until incorporated. The dough will be soft.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes just so it’s easier to handle.

For large cookies, dollop 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. For smaller cookies use 1 Tablespoon for each cookie. Press the dough evenly with your fingers or palm to 1/4-inch thickness. Generously sprinkle sugar on top of the cookie dough.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for larger cookies or 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.