Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Tis' the season for cookies....well, any season is for my husband. If you like cherries, I think you may like this cookie. It is my favorite cookie, I believe. I know dried cherries are expensive, but during the holidays, I do splurge on them.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
¾ cups white chocolate chips
¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup pecans, chopped coarsely
1 cup of dried cherries (chopped into smaller pieces,if you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg; mix well. Mix in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the chips, pecans and cherries. Drop by teaspoonful on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an air-tight container.

Cookie,

Those sound delicious! I will make them later this week.

I don't know if you've ever heard this before, Cookie, but I'm from a family with strong Norwegian ties. (My father is half Norwegian, and I have a stepmother whole is 100% Norwegian.)

It is traditional in Norwegian families to bake 7 different kinds of cookies for the Christmas holidays. I like to follow this tradition, but for one problem: none of the Scandinavian cookies have chocolate as an ingredient. They're all very strong on butter, sugar, flour and items like nuts. Yummy, but I find many of my guests are chocolate fans.

So I am always looking for an appropriate chocolate cookie to add to the mix. These sound like they will fill the bill nicely.

Thanks for sending us your recipe!

Anne

If I were a cook, I would definitely make these - they sound yummy!

I've made the cookie dough just now, haven't baked any yet. I added 1/2 C. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa, as I wanted my cookies to have a chocolate base. Will let you know how they come out.

Oooooh, a chocolate base sounds good! I may have to try that too, Anne!

I add cocoa sometimes when I make chocolate chip cookies. I add 1/4 cup of cocoa instead of the 1/4 cup flour to the flour-mixture to make chocolate-chocolate chips cookies.

Anne, I think I'm down to making 7 different kinds of cookies for the holidays. I don't make as much cookies and candy as I use too, but still a fair amount. Norwegian cookies made of butter, sugar, flour and nuts sound good to me too! Sounds like you are the cook amongst your family and friends also.

Yonuh, I wish I wasn't a good cook sometimes! Everybody expects me to cook or bake something good for them. Pressure,lol!

Cookie, I chocolate version of your cookies were a real hit with the people I shared them with. Just wanted to let you know.

By the way, I tried a new brownie recipe this evening. It's a recipe I found via Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I get a real kick out of her -- and I enjoy her recipes.

I needed to make some "kick butt" brownies, as I wanted to share them with my next door neighbor, who keeps coming over and bringing me casseroles, saying she made enough for two and she wants to share...

So I looked at her site and I found this recipe she calls "Knock You Naked" Brownies -- and I made them this evening.

The recipe is rather time-consuming, though it only has maybe 6 ingredients -- she starts with a Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix...

(For details on what's involved, check out the link above, she includes pictures for all the steps involved.

The recipe took me longer to make because my caramels were old and hard, and it took a long time to cook them with the milk to make the caramel sauce.)

All I can say so far, is that they are out of the oven and cooling. She says they need to be refrigerated before they can be enjoyed, so we're holding off on the tasting. But the anticipation is high...

And tomorrow, after we've tried one, I'll write back and tell you whether or not Steve and I were "knocked naked" when we ate them. LOL!

Anne, LOL! LOL! Can't wait to hear your results from eating the brownies.

You have will power! I don't know if I could wait on the brownies to cool in the frig. I might have to dig in with a fork and take a tiny bite.

I'm glad you like the cookies, Anne!

Hi Cookie -- any anyone else here who loves to cook and bake -- or who enjoys eating delicious rich indulgent brownies.

These "Knock You Naked" brownies were fabulous! The main complaint I would have with the recipe is that it makes only an 8 x 8 pan. I'd like to have a whole 13 x 9 pan, if you please...

But then the brownies might become common - not so special. So I have no plans to redevelop the recipe to make it larger.

The main caution I would have anyone who decides to make these oh-so-rich chocolate treats is to follow the recipe closely with regard to baking time.

I gave mine an extra 5-8 minutes because they didn't look "done." The result is that the brownies in the corners of the pan are not at all chewy.

Secondarily, if you like to know you are eating nuts in your brownies, don't chop the nuts too fine. I chopped my pecans pretty small, and the people I shared the brownies with (neighbors and friends) commented that the nuts were not as "present" as they would have preferred.

They are still so delicious though, that anyone I've shared them with -- 5 people so far -- is quite willing to "gnaw away" at the harder corners - -and recognize that the nuts aren't the main event in these treats. Their reward, of course, is delicious chocolate and caramel...

One other note: The Pioneer Woman specifies using a German Chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines, preferably). I only had a Devils Food cake mix in the house (and it WAS Duncan Hines brand) so I used that. Thus my brownies are a bit more densely chocolate than her recipe specifies. Makes little difference, IMHO...

Bottom line: I have repurchased all the ingredients and will be baking them again very soon -- and making sure not to overcook them!

(If you want photos, and I'm sure you do, please refer to link here, which goes to the recipe as posted on the Pioneer Woman's website.

Those brownies look delish!! The batter looks good enough to eat all by itself. I wouldn't have a problem gnawing on the harder corners neither. I'm bookmarking that recipe.