Monday, November 15, 2010

Another Fall Favorite

Fall is definitely my most favorite time of year for knitting. It signals the need for warm woolly knits before Winter finally arrives. In the past years, I would start knitting in a frenzy when the first sign of cold hits. Summers use to slow my knitting to a halt. These days, I am knitting all year round, so the mad dash to start knitting every pattern in sight is curbed.

My other passion is baking. Fall is when I love to fire up the oven because certain Summer months are just too hot to bake. There is never a lack of baked goods in my kitchen during the Fall and Winter months.

Next week, Thanksgiving will be the start of my baking season. I want to share an amazing cookie recipe with all of you. It comes from the book, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. The Black Forest Chocolate Cookies are a delicious combination of chocolate and cherries. Everyone I've shared it with has loved them. My friend's husband, who does not like cherries, fell instantly in love with this cookie after the first bite. That's saying a lot from a humble little cookie.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Yield 24 Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
16 oz. dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. (6 oz.) white chocolate chips
1 c. (6 oz.) dried cherries

Directions:
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

15 comments:

kim said...

Mmmm, I love cherries and chocolate. I will be trying these out.

Meganne Fabrega said...

I was wondering what kind of cookies I should bring to my friend's house this weekend...problem solved! They look so yummy!

Hannah said...

Sounds like a winning cookie, alright! Love that crackled top, those sort of cookies always have the best texture.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

OOOOh, those look so good! Cooler weather makes me want to bake, too. Those heavenly smells coming from the oven on a cold day is just wonderful, isn't it?

LittleCanoe said...

Uh wow. Oh my gosh. I want these in my face right now. They look sooo good. i'm totally knee deep in baking right now, I just can't stop! But I need to pull some new ideas out of my bag of tricks. I'll have to give these cookies a shot. They sound great!

caitlyn said...

Those cookies look so, so delicious!!! I must try making them sometime this holiday season!

Yarny Days said...

My favorite cookie in the WORLD. Last time you gave me some, I downed it in one short sitting.

opportunityknits said...

It sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing. I'm saving this recipe :)

Erin Joy said...

I'll definitely be making these this winter! Yum!

Jennie said...

Oh they look yummy! have to try making them some time =)

Anonymous said...

YUM! I love this recipe and have made it several times. It's been a big hit every time. Have you purchased the new Baked book? It's also terrific!

Christine said...

These look really great! I love chocolate and cherries together but never thought of putting them together in a cookie this way (although I have adapted Smitten Kitchen's blondie recipe to put dried cherries and chocolate chips in. But that's different from having the dough be all chocolate). This is something I really want to try!

hetty said...

Oh, yummy! Chocolate and cherries, my favourite!

Anonymous said...

I love baking in the fall/early winter too. These cookies look amazing! Thanks for sharing them! :)

Although Renato Poliafito (one of the owners of Baked and one of the authors of the book) lives in my building so I guess I could have just gotten it from him, LOL!

yodafatkitty said...

Wow, that choc cookie recipe looks fantastic. I'm going to give this a try after the cooking frenzy that is Thanksgiving is over.