Chewy and Gooey Goodness
Now this might look like a pose, but it is just an appreciative young man enjoying a cookie! Looks like someone likes these!
I had my mis en place and completely forgot to take a shot of it: pictures do speak volumes! Just so you know, I had everything ready to go before I started. I was excited. It was Saturday morning and I was baking up a little love for the participants of the Slow Food Dairy Farm Fieldtrip the following day (Sunday). I wanted to add a personal touch. This is Alberta. We are visiting two dairy farms and our farming history is one of sharing and giving. Thus, the cookies.
Like the Breakfast Cookies, I developed this recipe over time. I have it just the way I love it, now. Folding the dry ingredients into the wet is a bit of a trial. Use a very big bowl! Then add all the other bits: the cherries, nuts,and chocolate chunks.
The batter is very thick and fudge-like. Don’t worry. That is how it is supposed to be.
Oh, my! Look at that! Do not even try to move these off of the try for 3-4 minutes. The chunks of chocolate will be too molten to move the cookie to the rack immediately.
These are my very favourite cookie. Vanja prefers the Breakfast Cookie. Not me. It’s chocolate all the way, and with the dried sour cherries, there is a bit of chewy heaven thrown in. I finally got it right with the filberts. I had been using pecans… started with walnuts…. but there is a little Nutella dance going on in the background of the palate with this cookie.
And they are big. One is enough. Chant it, like a mantra, if you need to. “One is enough.”
Katharine was a super sport Sunday when she let me take her photo with the cookie. I think I was supposed to reward her with another for this. Woops! (“One is enough!”…”One is enough!”)
Dark Chocolate Sour Cherry Hazelnut Cookie Recipe (Makes 50 cookies)
Ingredients
- 3 1/2c All-purpose flour
- 2 1/2c best quality cocoa powder
- 4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 1/2c unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2c granulated sugar
- 1 1/2c brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2tsp vanilla extract
- 24 oz bittersweet chocolate; coarsely chopped
- 2 c filberts, toasted (skin removed as much as possible) and coarsely ground
- 4 cups dried sour cherries (I got mine at Costco)
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 350° F
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a whisk; set aside
- With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract; mix until well combined
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; do not over mix
- Fold in the chopped chocolate, cherries and nuts with a wooden spoon; you will eventually have to use your hands, as this is a dense batter
- With a 1/4c measuring cup, place portions of dough on baking sheet lined baking sheets
- Arrange dough in rows of two lightly pressed balls to allow for spreading (6 to 8 a sheet)
- At this point, you can freeze the balls in the freezer, on the cookie sheets, and then package well in freezer bags once quick frozen for baking at a later date
- Or, bake 6 minutes, and turn the cookie sheet around in the oven and bake 6-7 minutes more, until puffed and cracked
- Allow to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack as the chocolate chunks will be too molten to enable a clean transfer
Yum! They look chewy and gooey indeed. I love that you used cherry and hazelnuts. The taste must be amazing.
Nisrine
With the brown sugar and that (24 ounce) amount of chocolate goodness, I really don’t think I could stop at just one. No way, Jose!
As I am sitting here at the computer I wish I had a gooey, chocolatey cookie in one hand Valerie.
Nooooo….how can i just stop at one? There’s no way i’d have the will power to do that. dare i try? oh gosh these are very tempting Valerie 😛 Let’s just say you had me at “chocolate”. I’m also a big fan of gooey chewy cookies. you’re killing me with these, killing me. why must i be allergic to nuts. by the way, is there a mistake with your ingredients? you listed filberts twice. maybe there’s something i’m not getting? if so, never mind me.
oh, and i read your cheese post but didn’t have anything to say so i didn’t want to sound stupid with a forced comment. that’s not me (forcing comments). i know you’ll understand.
LeQuan,
You crack me up. Leave the nuts out of these cookies, if you want. I listed the nuts twice because one cup is whole, and one cup is ground. And you didn’t have anything to say? Convince me. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Of course I understand! That was a post that was an intense read for the best of cheese lovers, let alone one that doesn’t love cheeses. I mean. goat cheese.
🙂
Valerie
Stop at one. You are funny.
Oh, this one is just down my husband alley! he loves anything chocolate and the more chocolate the more he likes it!
I am a definite fan of the oat meal cookie! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh, I also want to thank all the Canadians for making sure I enjoyed my trip to your country! I had a splendid time in Montreal and wished I had more time to see it and a little bit more time to discover some other parts of the country as well!
You made perfect cookies for a field trip. I love the flavors. You have such lucky colleagues!
ummmm, care package? looks DELISH! those are my kind of cookies! YUM!
I wasn’t sure if leaving out the nuts would alter the chewy gooeyness of your perfected recipe. If no then bye bye nuts it is 😀 Baking language to me is like K trying to speak English, choppy and me trying to make sense of it :-D. But I’m trying and learning. Even mom was impressed that I’ve been baking. Thank you for this recipe.
Nothing tastes better than freshly baked cookies!
I am madly in lust with both your breakfast and chocolate shunk cookies. They are not only aesthetically perfect, but they look to be the ultimate cookie texture, chewy on the inside, light and crisp on the outside. As always, you’ve made my mouth water and my stomach beg 🙂
Both these and the breakfast cookies sound so delicious – and with such wholesome ingredients too. Great cookies!
I would certainly stop at one, but I am not a sweets eater. However, I’d be begging if I told my wifey to stop at one. She’d have 12. That’s a conservative estimation.
Lovely photography to compliment a gorgeous recipe. Isn’t so rewarding to have a recipe evolve over time into something you can be proud of? It truly is magical.
Thanks for jumping in on the conversation yesterday. You always supply a unique voice.
Oh gosh, these are absolutely my flavours!!! I love them.
*kisses* HH
Chocolate and cherries are one of my favorite combinations, I adore the dark rich flavors of each. These cookies look to die for.
first breakfast cookis and now these gems…i love chocolate but I think I would like to munch on one of each, and sour cherries…even better..great cookie..
can’t wait to read your next post about the field trip..
sweetlife
Stop at one? I don’t think so, Valerie! Those are chock full of goodness…my mouth is watering!
Oh, Valerie, I love your writing (“little Nutella dance”, hehe). Although your breakfast cookies are great, you had me at chocolate and cherries (sour, yes!) and filberts! I always have a hard time including hazelnuts in recipes because I feel they have a very distinctive taste that may not go with what I’m making – but why did I never think of cookies?? With chocolate?? I don’t think I’ll be stopping at one cookie with these, Valerie. Better make extra because I’m coming over! 😛
Lovely texture and a perfect cookie for any time.
Boy…you certainly don’t skimp on dried cherries ;o)
These cookies are certainly going to get their bite in my home…can’t wait to get a batch baked.
Thanks for sharing such a scrumptious treat!
Ciao for now,
Claudia
Goodness! These look wonderful…I love the sour cherry. Not sure if I could hold myself to the one is enough rule though!
Is there anything that you don’t know how to make? These nutty chocoatey cookies look scrumptious!
These look so yummy! Cherries, chocolate and hazelnuts, winner!!
These look so tempting! One is never enough for me when I see a plate full of these. Just heavenly!
Those look so amazing Valerie! Totally delicious!
Wow, these look amazing. I love the double layer of hazelnuts. I’ll have to go hunting for some dried sour cherries. Yum!
I love the dried cherries in these, very yummy!
Oh wow! These look so rich and chocolatey!! Definitely my type of cookie!! =) I can imagine how hard it’d be to resist eating the cookie straight out of the oven!!
And on a different note, I know this is a little late, but thankyou for your lovely comments on my blog. You really write the sweetest comments ever!! And I also figured out how to get email subscriptions too! Don’t know if it works though…..but thanks so much for the suggestion!! =)
Eat one cookie like that? No way! I can’t stop myself for eating chewy and gooey cookies like that. I probably die if you stop me. I should make some of these since they are really delicious and yummy in the photos. The cookies will probably burst some chocolates inside your mouth and that is the best of it! Chocolates!
Simply love soft chocolate cookies and these look fabulous!
WOWzers!! Please send me some! 🙂 OK, ok, I’ll try to make them myself. Thank you so much for sharing. ~Alison
Soft chocolate cookies are super delicious. Yours are big and yummy! I can’t wait to try your recipe. I love the photos it really makes me temp to eat those cookies even if I am on a diet right now. Lol. Thanks for sharing.
Did say Chocolate!! That is some cookie!
Thank you 🙂
The name itself is so tempting for a chocolate fan like me. By the way is there a substitute for sour cherry as it is not easily available here. Is it added to provide the chewy texture. If so shall I avoid using it?
Greetings, Susan
The sour cherry adds chewiness and an incredible tart or complimentary flavour. If you have cranberries, they would make a great substitution!
🙂
Valeire
As usual for me, I went a little rouge. I followed the recipe until the last ingredient and then substituted fresh sour cherries from my tree. I’m always trying to find new ways to use my cherries. Anyway the cookies turned out flatter than yours but still delicious. And I can pick one up without it falling apart. I cut the recipe in half but there was still too many cookies for the two of us. So I put half my batter in an 8×8 and made brownies. That also turned out great.
Love creative minds!
🙂
Valerie