[Cookie 032] Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries

Well, I am back. I realize I forgot to mention that I would be gone in the first place, so let me make amends. I went on a 6 day backpacking trip up in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada with my mom and dad, trekking on a 40-mile loop near the John Muir Wilderness. We explored the Rae Lakes, climbed a mountain (Glenn Pass), and smelled terribly. For more on this, please check my other blog some time this week, where I'll be posting pictures and more details! It was beyond fabulous!!

Anyway, in the world of cookies, all was silent on the western front. Except I had made a batch of cookies before I left that I failed to post about until now. So without further ado, I bring you my foray into the world of the Dark Chocolate Cookie with Sour Cherries.

Ever since I first used dried cherries in a recipe, I was completely addicted to their tart flavor and perfect chewiness. You get so accustomed to raisins as the go-to dried fruit in cookies, so switching it up with the dried cherry was a very exciting thing for me. Because I get very excited about cookies. As you can probably tell. Often.

Anyway, concerning the cookie itself, I'm all over it. It's great. Fab and fantastic. Intense--like, "I can only eat 1 at a time even though I want to eat 7" intense. They are extremely chocolatey, rich, and chewy, and with the added sour cherries you really get something to write home about (if you do that). This is a cookie that comes with a mandatory glass of milk, which trust me, you will need. Get my drift yet?

And what's more, the recipe is simple and fun to make, and produces a dough that can be frozen for up to a month! So you can bake a few today, a few tomorrow, and maybe a few the next day, but I doubt you'll have any dough left after that. But wait, back to the specifics of the recipe. As I was saying, it's a lot of fun to make because--like most drop cookies--you just throw together a bunch of ingredients and plop the dough onto the baking sheet. You end up with a dough that is so rich in unsweetened cocoa that it is nearly black save for the dark reds of the cherries and lighter browns of the semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Very beautiful indeed.

However, Martha instructs you to roll balls of dough that are about 1/4 cup volume. Now, take a moment to envision that. That is completely, absurdly, ridiculously GIGANTIC! I'm as much a fan of the oversized cookie as the next person, but with a cookie that is so intensely flavored, you really won't be able to finish a whole cookie in one sitting! I eyeballed it and made the balls into what size I thought would be good (about 1" diameter). Then into the oven, then onto the cooling rack, then into my mouth. Perfection.

So in conclusion, this cookie is for the dark chocolate lovers out there--but specifically those who are looking for a little bit more in their life. A little something extra, a little kick in the butt. You know. Now stop reading this and go buy some sour cherries and get on it!

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dried sour cherries, firmly packed (9 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed, until just combined. Do not overbeat. With a wooden spoon, fold in chocolate and cherries. (Dough can be frozen at this point, wrapped well in plastic, up to 1 month; thaw completely before baking.)
3. Form balls of dough, each about 1/4 cup; place balls on baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 3 days.

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{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 2/5 (Unfortunately, dried cherries can be a little pricey)
Tastiness: 4.5/5 (But I'm a devoted dark-chocolate lover...)
Attractiveness: 4/5 (Black and red cookies?! Yes!)
Is it worth it?: Yes, duh.

{Pairings}
Drink: Milk, and lots of it.

Song: Chocolate Milk -- MF Doom
Activity: Midnight snackage!