Chewy Cherry Chunk Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Place dried cherries in a small bowl, and cover with 1 cup boiling water to plump them; let stand 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in cherries, white and milk chocolate, and pecans. Batter should be stiff.

Use a large (2 1/2 ounce) or small (1 1/4 ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of dough. Place the balls of dough about 4 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until golden and just set, rotating the sheets between the oven racks halfway through baking to ensure even browning, about 15 minutes for large cookies and 12 minutes for small cookies. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring cookies to rack.