Life member Patty Woodland is the queen of from-scratch cooking, making her own bread, pasta and cheese (using milk from goats she raises). She also dehydrates fruit, and last summer’s batch of dried cherries started her thinking about a twist on a plain chocolate chip cookie. “Then I saw pistachio nuts in my pantry, and a new cookie was born,” she says.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12-oz.) pkg. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup roasted salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cherries

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well-blended. At low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and cherries.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire rack.

5 dozen cookies

PER COOKIE: 115 calories, 6 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 1.5 g protein, 15.5 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 1 g fiber