Men don't seem to see Valentine's Day quite the same as women; at least, that is true in my house. When making Valentine's Day cookies for my blog, all I hear from my guy is, "What about my chocolate chip cookies"? So, I thought I would make something partly for him.
But to be fair, I thought, ok, how can I make a cookie that is more for the guys and not so much looking like a total Valentine's Day cookie. I always think of chocolate-covered strawberries as the all-time Valentine's Day thing, so how can I make this combination for a guy and Valentine's Day?
I added a little cream cheese to make them soft inside and rolled them in fine sugar to give them a little crunch outside. The hard part was deciding on the dried strawberries.
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Types of Dried Strawberries
I found dried strawberries that, Oh! Nuts has on its website. Here is a link to Oh! Nuts Dried Fancy Strawberries, which are the ones I used in this cookie recipe. They have a little sugar around them to keep them from sticking together. But you could also use the Organic Dried Strawberries sold by Nuts.com.
The only thing I want to point out is to make sure they are real strawberries, not strawberry-flavored jelly shaped like a strawberry with a pound of sugar coating it. Most have a little sugar coating them so they don't stick, but look at the label to confirm the amount of sugar.
They usually come whole, so I cut them into smaller pieces about the size of the chocolate chips. This way, my guy gets his chocolate chips, and the bonus is the strawberries, which says Valentine's Day!
Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Strawberry apple juice
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Dried strawberries
- Semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- Super fine sugar
Making Strawberry Chocolate Cookies
Prepping
As always, I like to get all my ingredients prepped and in bowls ready to add to my mixer. This is my way of remembering everything.
Next, weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon into a bowl. I run a whisk through to blend the three ingredients.
Now, cut the dried strawberries into smaller pieces about the size of the chocolate chips. I have found you need a 2 to 1 ratio of strawberries to chocolate chips, or all you will taste is chocolate.
Now, it's time to mix the cookies.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
Add your room-temperature butter and softened cream cheese to the mixer bowl. Mix them on a medium mixer speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to a low speed and start adding the powdered sugar. I add about a quarter at a time and incorporate before adding the next. This way, you will not end up with a powdered sugar bath. Then, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until you have creamy-looking soft peaks.
Now add the vanilla extract, strawberry apple juice, and the egg. Mix until incorporated and 1 to 2 minutes on a medium mixer speed. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom.
Turn the mixer to a slow speed and slowly start adding the flour mixture. Don't mix too long, then stop and scrape down the sides and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and strawberry pieces and turn the mix on for 5 to 10 seconds.
The reason you mix the flour as little as possible is that it could result in a tougher cookie. Here is a good article on why not to overmix from the website Epicurious called Why Does Overmixing Matter in Baking and How Do I Avoid It? Here is also an article on the King Arthur website on Cookie Chemistry you might enjoy. So, I use a spatula to help even out the distribution of the chips and strawberries if needed.
Cookie dough completely mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I set out a plate or bowl and add the superfine sugar for the rolling.
I use a medium size cookie scooper, and this is about the amount of cookie dough I use per cookie.
Take the cookie dough and roll into a ball, then roll it in the sugar to create a coating around the cookie. Add 12 balls to a prepared cookie sheet pan.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 11-13 minutes. Once out of the oven, move them to a cooling rack to finish.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Other dried fruit could be apricots, but Nuts.com has Dried Red Raspberries that I think would be perfect with milk chocolate chips.
Well, to start with, the texture is so different. Freeze-dried is crunchy, and dried fruit is soft and flexible. Each has its own purpose in baking, and I use both. For pieces of fruit in my cookies, I use soft, dried fruit. I use crushed and sifted freeze-dried fruit to add more flavor to a cookie dough or topping. Here is a website with more detail on the differences: Freeze Dried vs Dried Fruit: Which is a Better Option? from AmericasRestaurant.com
Other Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe
Chocolate Chips and Strawberry Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 4 ounce (4 ounce) Cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (180 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 (1) Egg
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Strawberry apple juice
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (120 g) Dried strawberries cut up
- ½ cup (87.5 g) Semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) Super fine sugar
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set that aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, running a whisk through to blend. I cut the dried strawberries into smaller pieces, about a chocolate chip's size. You can make them bigger if you like.
- Add the butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer or use a handheld and mix for 1 to 2 minutes on medium speed. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar. I usually stop and scrape down the sides to incorporate all three ingredients. Turn the mixer to a medium speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, crack an egg into a small bowl to eliminate eggshell fragments before adding the egg to the mixing bowl. At this time, also add the vanilla extract and the strawberry apple juice and mix through. Scrape down the side and turn the mixer to a slow speed. Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and across the bottom before adding the cut-up dried strawberries and the chocolate chips. I turn on the mixer for about 5 seconds, then take the bowl off the stand. I get a good spatula to turn the cookie dough over several times to ensure the strawberries and chocolate chips are evenly distributed. Loosely cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Take a paper plate (I use it for easy throw away) and pour the superfine sugar onto the plate so you can roll the cookie balls around in the fine sugar. I use a medium cookie scoop, scoop a mound, and roll it in your hands (it is a little tacky), then roll it around in the superfine sugar before placing it on the cookie sheet pan. I add 12 cookie dough balls to a sheet pan. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Move them to a cooling rack after removing them from the oven.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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