Out My Front Door
My usual M.O. to get people to try new desserts is to either take the treats into school, take them to work, post a message on Facebook and/or ask friends to stop by. Fortunately, my friends usually respond pretty quickly.
This past weekend, however, was a time when many friends were not glued to their computers, which meant I had to hunt them down. I called one friend and offered to walk my new cookies over to her house. I got a bonus, because she actually joined me on the walk.
I carry a fanny pack when I walk, so it was easy to keep the cookies with us. Part of our journey took us through a small outdoor shopping center, where I ran into friends eating breakfast outside.
We were joking about my Facebook posts when I remembered the cookies I had brought with me. Of course, I offered to share from my walking friend’s stash. “Are you kidding me?” was their response!
I am often reminded why I adore my friends, but that morning offered a perfect example. I don’t know about you, but my friends do not think it is an odd thing to have dessert with breakfast. I mean, really, it is a meal, so why not finish (or in their case, complement) it with something sweet?
Brian, one of the breakfast tasters, commented that each bite had a different flavor, some crunchy, some chewy. Good thing, too, because Chewy and Nutty Chocolate Cookies are loaded (and I do mean LOADED) with dried cherries, roasted pistachios and chocolate chips.
It showed me that just when I thought I might have trouble finding taste testers, all I really had to do was go out my front door!
| Chewy and Nutty Chocolate Cookies | Print |
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup roasted unsalted pistachio nuts
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- Stir together chocolate chips, dried cherries and pistachios together in small bowl and set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes, scraping bowl down as needed. Add eggs and then vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Lastly, mix in chips-cherries-nuts.
- Scoop 2 teaspoons of dough at a time onto baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 16 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through.
- Cool on pans.
