Christmas cookies with a snowy crackle

Warning: This recipe can make you have mouth orgasms!

Kind of like a black forest cake in one bite.
These cookies are soft and chewy, chocolatey and cherry with a light dusting of white icing sugar on top. They take about 20 min total if you've done this kind of thing before and a bit more if you are sloppy in the kitchen. Total baking time 12 - 15 min! Makes more than 3 dozen little cookies =;)

Since many of you have tried these and some have asked for the directions..... I'm going to give it here for future reference. I will be making them as I write this to bring them to a solstice pot luck at Motion Gallery tonight!

What you will need to make them:

A large bowl,
a silicone spatula or wooden spoon,
a small wire sifter,
measuring cups (1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and  1 cup)
and measuring spoons (1/2 tsp ands 1 tsp)
An oven set to 380 degrees (180 C.)
Baking sheets with parchment paper

I make a small drink with some maraschino cherry syrup, some of the rum and some San Pelligrino as I bake ;)

Ingredients:


1/3 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter
1 cup sugar*
2 Eggs
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sifted cocoa powder 
1 & 1/2 cup all purpose powder (sifted if needed)
1 tsp. Baking powder (NOT baking soda boys!)
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup or about 150g of coarsely chopped dark bakers chocolate 
1/3 cup of dried cherries** (mine were given to me by Richard Reeves from Creston B.C.)
1/3 cup maraschino cherries** and 1 tsp of their juice
Enough sifted icing sugar to coat (say 1/2 cup)


*You can use your own sweetener mix if you don't want to use pure sugar using maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, agave nectar, stevia etc.

** If you don't have either of these cherries, you can use other dried fruit or use candied cherries from the super market.

Directions:


1) Prep your space: 
     Lay out parchment on a few baking sheets and turn on your oven to 380 F (180 C.)


2) Get out a large bowl and mix 'wet' ingredients:
     Mix together the room temp butter, the eggs, sugar/sweetener and vanilla together.


3) Blend in the dry ingredients:
     Put a sifter over the bowl and blend in the cocoa powder, flour baking powder and salt

3) Mix in the goodies that make the cookies awesome:
     Chop the chocolate chunks and cherries and add to the cookie dough until evenly distributed. 

4) Roll the dough in to balls and coat:
     Roll in your hands small balls just over an inch big or use a small scoop, try to make them all the same so they cook for the same amount of time.


5) Coat in icing sugar:
     Toss the cookie dough balls into the sifted icing sugar to coat.

6) Place and bake:
     Place the balls evenly spaced on the cookie sheets and bake for 12 - 15 min. 


7) Meanwhile while cookies are baking, clean up!

8) When the timer goes off, Take out and cool.


9) Eat, share & enjoy ! ! !

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