An excellent cookie for chocolate and cherry lovers alike. As you may know, the appellation 'Black Forest' does in fact refer to a forest of that name found in Germany, where the Black Forest Gateau was believed to have originated. Since then chefs have used their imagination to apply the combination of chocolate and tart cherries, customarily soaked in Kirschwasser (also credited to that region, where tart morello cherries grow) to a number of different desserts and delicacies. That being said, this delicious cookie is very adaptable to suit different tastes. It can be made without the chocolate (just add an extra 1/2 cup or so of cherries), extra chocolatey (add 2/3 cup unsw cocoa powder to the batter with the flour), kid friendly (soak the cherries in juice or a simply syrup), or easily halved. These cookies are very moist and chewy, which I love, but if you prefer crunchier cookies you may want to use a different batter base. This recipe is adapted from Dede Wilson's "Chocolate Chip Cookies". Cook time includes chill time. Cheers!