I have always liked Valentine’s Day. Romance and commercialism aside, I just enjoy the sentiment of Valentine’s Day. I like making special crafts with the kids, creating valentines for friends, and making sure the people I love know just how much I care about them. I really enjoy all the fun Valentine treats to be made and shared too.
This year I’m thinking cookies will be my love message of choice. These Chocolate Cherry Cookies are incredible! They were originally inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s Chocolate Chunker Cookies and tweaked after the kids saw a sign at Sonic advertising a Chocolate Cherry Sweetheart Milkshake. Esme, thinking out loud, said a Chocolate Cherry Sweetheart Cookie would taste really good. So, Chocolate Cherry Cookies it is, and you can throw the sweetheart in for fun too.
What makes these cookies so amazing is that they are gooey, and fudgy, and crunchy, and chewy all at the same time! With Four kinds of Chocolate, Macadamia Nuts, and Dried Cherries, these cookies are satisfying in so many ways. I can’t think of a better way to say I Love You than with a plate full of delicious cookies. You can enjoy these, with a cup of milk or scoop of ice cream. And if you don’t have a sweetheart this year, I can tell you most truthfully that a Chocolate Cherry Cookie (or two) makes a nice substitute.
Chocolate Cherry Sweetheart Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks
- 6 ounces high-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks
- 1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, chopped
- 1 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate to bowl. Heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, or with a large bowl and hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mixing on low, add the melted butter and chocolate and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add the dry ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are incorporated, being careful not to over mix.
- Using a large wooden spoon, mix in the semisweet and white chocolate chunks, nuts, and cherries. You will have more chunks than dough at this point. (The dough can now be wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days).
- Using a cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), drop generously heaping scoops onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about an inch between the mounds. Bake cookie sheets one at a time for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before eating. Makes approximately 24 cookies.
Notes
Adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Katrina says
Love this! I’ll have to try these out!