How Long Until the Bus Arrives???

 

I really enjoy having a kindergartener. He gives me an excuse to make lots and lots of cookies! (Like I needed an excuse!) He’s been in school for three weeks now and every day when he gets off the bus he comes in the house and has cookies and milk with Amelia and they discuss their respective days. It is the cutest thing EVER! I really need to get a picture of them. *makes mental note*

Anywho, this cookie was a huge hit with them. And with Jay. And with Jilly. And with me! Just a huge hit all around. It’s got a laundry list of ingredients, but this is definitely a cookie you should tackle! It’s from Diane Mott Davidson’s The Grilling Season, which is a murder mystery not a guide to grilling outdoors. It’s a great read, like all her other books.

And, of course, this cookie will be made that much better by using King Arthur Flour’s Bensdorp cocoa powder instead of the Schmershey variety. Just sayin’. Okay. . . . on to the cookies!

 

Chocolate Comfort Cookies

Adapted from Diane Mott Davidson’s The Grilling Season

1 cup chopped hazelnuts

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried tart cherries

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (I just used part of an 85% cacao LIndt bar I had hanging around.)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups+2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Bensdorp cocoa powder

1 cup marshmallow cream

 

Preheat the oven to 325. Line your cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.

On another baking sheet, spread the hazelnuts. Toast in the oven for 7-12 minutes until they are lightly browned and some skins have loosened. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa.

In a large bowl, combine the chips, cherries and cooled nuts.

In your mixer’s bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar. Beat well.

Add the egg and mix until creamy and smooth.

Add the milk, melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the batter. Mix in the marshmallow cream.

Stir in the fruit mixture and mix until well combined.

Scoop rounded teaspoons of dough onto the cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet.

Bake 10-15 minutes until they are puffed and set, then remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for another 2 minutes. Then remove to a wire cooling rack.

Lather, rinse, repeat with the remaining dough.

Enjoy with hot chocolate or a glass of ice-cold milk!

Makes a bazillion cookies. Or thereabouts.

 

Just a friendly reminder:

To enter to win a pound of Bensdorp cocoa powder and a box of unbleached cake flour from King Arthur Flour, just go to this post and leave a comment!

Easy peasy!