Oh So Chocolatey Cookies

 

We have two boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the pantry and my family continues to complain that we have no sweets in the house.  I think I've spoiled them :) 

Don't get me wrong, we all adore Girl Scout cookies but there's something so comforting about freshly baked cookies.  The smells coming from the kitchen, filling every room in the house...nothing beats that.  And right now, our house smells like chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. 

These cookies looked like lumps of coal on the baking sheets; they were so dark except for the pop of red from the dried cherries peaking out from inside the dough.  After baking, they proved to be a crumbly, crispy, chewy cookie with a whole lot of intense chocolate flavor.  If you're a fan of chocolate covered cherries (like my husband and I), these are the cookies for you.

Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Source: Bake or Break

Yield: about 24 cookies

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup dried sour cherries

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three portions, mixing each just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and cherries. Refrigerate dough for a few hours until firm. Place the dough on a clean work surface and divide in half. Roll out into logs about 12 inches long. Refrigerate for about an hour. Dough can be frozen for a month if wrapped well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets. Cut dough into 1-inch slices. Place cookies 1 & 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cookies look just baked. Do not overbake.