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Do I Smell “Thank You” Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies? #PFB2010

I have been baking again! As you know I only pull out sweet treats as a bribe or a thank you. Well, count these cookies as both a bribe and a thank you! Chocolate Cherry Ganache.

Last week I was so thrilled to have been chosen to move forward in the FoodBuzz Project Food Blog competition. As soon as I got the good news I ran straight to the kitchen (with a small sidetrack to a neighbors house to purloin the last of their summer figs) and poached up a batch of them in Lambrusco. It’s true I may have technically stolen those figs, but I prefer the term ‘urban foraged’. Or better yet– ‘double poached’. HA!

Well, guess what? It’s happened again.

You in your infinite wisdom have given me one more week to prove myself in this contest. I am advancing to Challenge #3! Now I am not one to mess with success. So just in case, the sweet treats from last week had any influence on your decision,  I thought I better whip up something dark, rich and chocolatey. I mean why tempt fate? What if it’s the sweets you like, and not really me? See my point?

Besides you like chocolate don’t you?

 

chcolate cherry cookies and milkWell, these cookies are all about chocolate. They are made with chocolate ganache in the dough, making them rich and moist. I saw a version of this cookie at Small Pleasures Catering Blog. Gisele made these for a special event. Special events are what she does, and this news is special to me so it seemed like the right time to give this recipe a try. She believes these cookies may have originally come from Gourmet Magazine a couple of decades ago, and have been adapted and amended by cooks ever since.

In that tradition, I took her version which had orange liqueur and chili powder in it and adapted it to fit what I had in the pantry. I made mine with dried cherries and Amaretto. Same cookie, slightly different flavor palate!

And unlike last week’s figs there was no ‘urban foraging’ involved this time. Figs may grow on trees, but dried cherries come from the store (at least in my life) where foraging is indeed ‘stealing’. So I paid cash!

Thanks! Now, who wants to come to a dinner party? It’s on to Challenge #3…

Chocolate Cherry Ganache Cookies makes 48 CLICK here for a printable recipe

 

  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1⁄2 c semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1⁄2 c unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 1⁄2 c all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄2 t baking powder
  • 1⁄2 t salt
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1⁄2 c sugar
  • 3 T cocoa powder
  • 2 T amaretto liqueur
  • 1 1⁄2 c dried cherries

In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips, and the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and remove the bowl from the heat.

In a small bowl stir together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.

In a bowl beat the eggs and the sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and pale and beat in the cocoa powder and the Amaretto. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, fold in the flour mixture, and stir in the dried cherries. The dough will be quite wet, almost like cake batter.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap pressed against the mixture and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a small scoop form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2‑inches apart. Bake the cookies 10–12 minutes, or until they are puffed and shiny and cracked on top. The should be very soft when they come out of the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, transfer them to racks, and let them cool completely. They will firm up as they cool, and are even better the next day.

Sippity Sup advance in FoodBuzz contestSerious Fun Food

Greg Henry

Sippity Sup