Monday, March 19, 2012

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies




From the kitchens of One Perfect Bite...I not always au courant when it comes to preparing sweet and happy endings for our meals. Truth be told, I'm an old stick-in-the-mud. It is rare for an old favorite to be bumped by a new creation. I'm an apple and berry and lemon girl, with what I'll admit is an unhealthy fondness for ice cream and cheesecake, and while I make the new desserts and cookies they rarely make more than one appearance at my table. Our holiday meal this weekend was elaborate and I wanted it to end it simply with an Irish coffee and a biscuit or two. I've watched several cookie recipes grow old as they queued on my to-do list and this seemed like a perfect time to let them come to the front of the line. I tried three recipes and while they are all lovely, only one of them caught my fancy. Today's cookie is nice and loads of people will love it, but I finally have to admit to myself that I don't like the chocolate-cherry combination. This started years ago with a Black Forest cake and it has not gotten better with the passage of time. My palate is convinced that anything sweeter than a sour cherry is on a par with cherry flavored cough syrup. So, I hope you'll keep that in mind when I tell you I won't be making this cookie again. It's a perfectly nice cookie but the flavor combination just does not sit well with me. If you enjoy the pairing of chocolate and cherry, I suspect you'll really like these cookies. The recipe is straight forward and the cookies are easy to make, though they need a 3 hour chill before baking. Tweeked versions of this recipe are everywhere, but the version I used is based on one that comes from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped dried cherries

Directions:
1) Mix butter and sugars together in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add vanilla, nutmeg and eggs and mix until smooth.
2) Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three parts, mixing until batter is smooth after each addition.
3) Stir in chocolate chips and cherries with a wooden spoon. Transfer batter to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop 1-inch spoonfuls of the dough onto an ungreased sheet pan. Place pan in oven and bake until edges are brown and the middles are golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool until warm or room temperature. Serve cookies immediately or keep for a few days before serving. Yield: 48 cookies.








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36 comments :

Virginia Taylors said...

I love your candor. And you are not a stick in the mud. I am still laughing that you would say that!!

Unknown said...

Good Morning Mary I was just loookig for some delicious cookies to make.. these are great blessing simmy..


he next summer I?ll gust a jung teeayers from U.S.A WHat you Us usually have for breakfast ..

Stephanie said...

Yum! This sounds like a great recipe!

Deb in Hawaii said...

I actually like cherry and chocolate as long as it is in small doses like chewy cookies. I'm not a fan of black forest cake. ;-)

Katarina said...

I love cookies, and these with chocolate and cherries sound delicious! Have a nice day!

ricettosando said...

Hi Mary, I think you've responded to me wrong blog ... welcome in any case.. kisses

"I hope this is the best place to answer your question about breakfast. Cereal and juice would probably be fine. As would eggs and toast. I suspect you'll find that an older child would want to eat the same breakfast you do. Have a great day. Blessings"

Alessandra said...

I do like dark chocolate and cherry, but always fresh cherries, so I am not sure about the dried ones, I guess they are ok for cookies, but yes, maybe too sweet?

Ciao
Alessandra

Salsa Verde said...

Hi Mary,
I love cherries and these cookies look so scrumptious!!
Cheers,
Lia.

Diane said...

Now I wonder if I can use my frozen cherries for this. We have a lot to eat before the next harvest!! Stay well. Diane

pam said...

To each his own. I adore chocolate and cherry!!

SImple and Serene Living said...

I picked a terrible time to be on a diet. This look scrumptious.

KitchenKarma said...

A chocolate and cherry cookie? A first for me, never had a cherry cookie...bookmarking this recipe :-) Your new follower, Suchi

Unknown said...

The perfect ending to any meal in my book!!

Barbara said...

Can't be a better combo than chocolate and cherries, Mary. And if I didn't have a lot of club meetings here, I probably wouldn't make nearly as many cookies as I do.
How did the other two recipes turn out?

Renee Paj said...

is there really any better combo than chocolate and cherries? yum!

Jo-Lyn said...

Oh my do these sound yummy!! =)

James Brewer said...

Always love a good cookie - and with chocolate and cherries, surely they can't get any better!

Lenia said...

They must be really tasteful,dear!Blessings!

raquel@eRecipe.com said...

Interesting combination chocolates and cherries. Yummy!=)

June said...

Personally both ice cream and cheesecake are absolutely necessary for my mental health so I see nothing wrong with your fondness of either. As for the cookie, I think they look scrumptious although I have a like association with oranges, particularly orange juice as it's what my Mom used to hide the castor oil in. Yikes!

firefoodie said...

Lovely cookies, now a happy follower!

France@beyondthepeel said...

My sister absolutely loves chocolate and cherry. I'll pass this along!

Haddock said...

I think I will go over to that site and look for more :-)

Jennifer Kendall said...

i love chocolate and cherry together, so this cookie sounds fabulous!

Jen at The Three Little Piglets said...

I'm kind of a dried cranberry more than a cherry girl myself. And black forest cake is over-rated!

Ginny Hartzler said...

It looks like they might work well without the cherries, and maybe just a bit more chips?

Kim said...

I have to try these cookies, they looks so good... Cherries and chocolate =yummy!!!!!

teresa said...

chocolate and cherries are such a great combo, these sound like the perfect thing to end the day!

Joanne said...

I definitely didn't realize just how much I was craving cookies until I saw this post. These look great!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

I love cookies and these had me craving to make some tonight!

mia xara said...

Hi Mary,I really love cherries paired with chocolate!Yummy cookies!Have a great week!

love cooking said...

I rarely do baking, but this biscuit seems very nice. I don’t think I will like the combination of chocolate and cherry too. Probably I will try blueberry flavor and without chocolate. :)

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef said...

I just made some recipes with dried cherries as well. Aren't they great to bake with?!

Cookin' Cowgirl said...

I LOVE dried cherries!! These sound amazing! And thank you for using nutmeg in this delicious recipe, why is it so underutilized? You are a genius! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, these copies are stunning ! I love the flavor combination!

tender b. said...

Chocolate and cherry is one of the best dessert combos there is.

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