Dark Chocolate Cookies with Dried Cherries

It is the first full week back at work for me after the summer break and it has been chaos! I’m a college librarian and when the economy is down, people go back to school, so it has been very, very busy. It’s quite fun though, as the students are fun to work with as they are trying to figure out college life. When it came to picking this week’s recipe, I wanted a nice homey, chocolaty cookie. I had considered making this recipe a couple of times, but this time the recipe seemed right. A nice chocolate cookie with just a little something extra: dried cherries.

The original recipe calls for dried sour cherries. My grocery store just had regular dried cherries. They do have a bit of tartness to them, but I’m not sure if it’s the same as what the recipe calls for. I used mini dark chocolate chunks instead of the bittersweet chocolate, since I figured that would be fairly close. I buy mini dark chocolate chunks at Whole Foods and I find that they are great to have around the house. Inevitable when I pick up at bag “to have on hand,” I always use them within a few days.

The cookies are very easy to make, and it makes a lot of dough. I had a little trouble getting all of the flour/cocoa powder mixed in, so be careful that you don’t end up with unmixed dough in the bottom of your bowl. These are soft, chocolately cookies that aren’t too sweet. The cherries soften a lot, it seems like they absorb moisture as the cookie bakes. Overall these are a great cookie jar cookie with a little something special.

1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix and set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the chocolate and cherries by hand.

Form balls of dough, about the size of a walnut and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until puffed and cracked, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookies