Truth be told, the reason I blog my recipes is because I’m the type of person who could lose my head if it weren’t firmly attached to my body. Case in point is the Chocolate Cherry Chunk recipe I submitted to the FAANtastic Divvies Cookie Contest a few weeks ago.
I tinkered with that recipe so many times I could barely think clearly, adding a bit more flour, a little less cocoa, too flat, too puffy. I was down to testing quarter batches (you know you’ve reached the edge of sanity when you know that 1/4 of 2/3 cup is 2T plus 2t.). Failed cookie dough was starting to pile up in the freezer, and I think my husband was ready to stage an intervention.
Finally, I had to call it and just the submit the best I had…and forgot to save a copy for myself. Poof. This wouldn’t have been a big deal, except that the recipe made the Top 5. Now the problem is that I know exactly where the recipe is, I’m just too embarrassed to ask for a copy back. So until I get my courage up, here is the best I can piece together from my notes. I can’t remember how much chocolate or cherries I used, so I’ll let you use your judgment.
Congratulations to Libby at The Allergic Kid and Kelly at Generation Allergy on making the top 5 also, it’s a small blogging world after all!
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Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Description
These Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies are dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan. The dried cherries and chocolate chunks are the perfect tart-sweet combination.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cups cocoa
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 cup shortening ( I used Spectrum Palm Oil shortening, expensive but nice to work with)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 T. corn syrup
- 2T vanilla
- 1/2 cup cherry juice (I used Juicy Juice)
- 1 cup chocolate chunks, ( I chopped up a Divvies bar, an Enjoy Life bar or safe chocolate chips would work too)
- 1 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa, soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the shortening with the brown sugar and white sugars. Add the corn syrup, vanilla and cherry juice. Beat well. Things will curdle apart slightly, don’t worry. Just mix the best you can.
- Dump the flour mixture into the sugar mixture and mix carefully with the hand mixer until everything is just combined.
- Add the chocolate and cherries and give the dough another quick mix to blend the goodies in.
- Drop tablespoon sized dough balls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the tops are set.
- Cool on a cookie rack, Enjoy!!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
These are my recipe notes as I was trying to create these cookies. I love Brynn’s note at the top, “I love being fancy”.
oooh these look yummy.
Hi Megan, thanks for pointing me to your blog! That is the funniest story I've heard in a while. With your other child being allergic to wheat, have you tried that recipe with gluten-free flour? Ironically, I work at an Allergists' office, and I have Celiac disease. Not really what they treat there, but nonetheless it means I'm reading food labels all the time and trying to figure out how to adjust recipes.
Awesome blog!
Heather
Oh, we are so leading parallel bloggy lives! Yes, I started blogging to keep track of my recipes, too. And I've learned to type out my recipes in Word, then copy and paste, because I've lost a couple to those little recipe windows, too!
I've got to hand it to you, though, I was trying to make a similar cookie, but you definitely took it over the top with the cherries! And the crinkles on top…I just couldn't get those crinkles! Your cookies look like winners to me!
Hi Megan! Congratulations on becoming a finalist in the FAANtastic Divvies Cookie Contest. Your recipe is fantastic, and I am happy to track it down and get it back to you! Have a great day, Lori Sandler
Thank you so much Lori and thanks again for such a fun challenge!
I made these cookies last week and they were awesome! My new favorite chocolate cookie recipe. Even better than any non allergy friendly cookies I've made (in my previous life before allergy kids).
Look delish! Where do you find your dried cherries? The only ones I ever find are pretty sugar laden. I guess I could try drying my own now that o getting a dehydrator!!
Fabulous cookies! Made substitutions of dates, pineapple juice, and margarine (due to pantry supplies) and it still turned out great! Thank you for the recipe.
I just made these for my boys for christmas! Wow – they are delish! Baking has been such challenge since the allergy diagnosis. You’ve really helped us. Thank you for this blog.
Tracy–Wonderful! I’m so glad these worked out for you! These are definitely one of our favorites. Elaine–I LOVE the substitution idea, especially since Michigan had a crop failure this year and cherries are way more expensive than usual.
These are REALLY good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.