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2.07.2011

Post #8: (White) Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies

 Not sure if you know this, but Texas was just hit with a huge ice storm - Snowmageddon as it likes to be called.  So basically, aside from work, I was stuck indoors and all I could do was bake and watch movies.  a.k.a. Heaven!

Anyway, these cookies are not something I would normally make - I don't purchase a lot of dried fruit, nor do I think it's okay to "ruin" a perfectly good chocolate chip cookie with healthy stuff!  The restaurant I manage is part of a test market.  With this being the case, I get sent home with a ton of weird ingredients that we can't use in the cafe, but make strange additions to our home pantry (you should have seen the looks on our friend's faces when they saw we had 3 or 4 jars of marshmallow fluff in the pantry...).  So, recently I was blessed with roughly 5lbs. of dried cherries.  I'm generally not a huge cherry eater, so I had no idea what to do with them.  Our head of Research and Development pointed me to Martha Stewart's website for the "best chocolate cherry cookies ever!"  Because of the previously mentioned ice storm, I couldn't get to the store to buy oats, so I just replaced them with flour this time, and no chocolate chips (WTF!?) so I used white ones.  Worked out just fine - they were hubby approved - but the original recipe is better, so that is what I am posting!  :o)

Do y'all have any good recipes that use dried cherries?

Also, is my photography getting any better?  We have so little natural light in this place!

 Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

Makes 20 cookies
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup toffee pieces

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add the egg, mix on high speed to combine. Add the vanilla; mix to combine. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
  3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Add oats, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine after each addition.
  4. Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Repeat, spacing 2 inches apart.
  5. Bake cookies until golden brown 13 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think they look good, even though I'm with you - not a huge fan of dried fruit. LOL! But good nonetheless!

I like your food photography myself, even when the light is unnatural. Looks tasty anyway! I do wish you'd incorporate Brutus into the picture...Brutus with a pie, Brutus with a pork chop, etc. LOL!

Steve said...

Hi there Sandi!

My name is Steve Walters and I recently started blogging at http://www.eatingbangkok.com, which is currently being updated with recipes, but in the next few months will be my vehicle for covering the food and restaurant scene in Bangkok Thailand.

I am now in the process of meeting as many food bloggers as I can and I found your site http://thekitchenpirate.blogspot.com/ recently and was pretty impressed. I've added your site to my Foodie Blogs list here: http://www.eatingbangkok.com/foodie-blogs/ and would also like to add you to my blogroll.

If you could add my site to your blogroll and write back to let me know it has been added (foodie [at] eatingbangkok.com) I will add you to mine as well and the exchange would be greatly appreciated!

As you might imagine I am very excited to get moved to Bangkok and get started on covering the food scene there as I feel it is an area that isn't well covered by English speaking bloggers. I plan on adding loads of great reviews, pictures and even video and will be holding contests as well. It should be fun, entertaining and informative for everyone that visits.

Thank you so much in advance for adding me to your blogroll and I look forward to reading your posts (I've subscribed!) and maybe even featuring some of your own posts as I do plan on a weekly roundup of Thai themed recipes and posts from other food bloggers.

Warm regards,
Steve

P.S. If you are on Twitter I would love to have you as a follower and I follow back:
http://www.twitter.com/eatingbangkok

Anonymous said...

The cookies look good.I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I'd love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this cookie widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about recipes for cookies,Thanks!