Dark Chocolate Strawberry Walnut Cookies

Chocolate and strawberries somehow became a trendy duo that people can never turn down when these are being offered to them. To be honest, I love the chocolate and orange combination even more. The fragrance and flavor from the orange peels mixed with the creamy sweetness of chocolate are just divine! Well, this just gave me an idea of what my next baking recipe should be, watch out!

Back to the chocolate and strawberry duo, I’ve decided to put them to the test and combine them into cookie form. The tang from cooked strawberries and the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate go well with the sugar sweetness. I like using brown sugar in cookies because it provides a more depth of flavor from the molasses than plain white sugar, as well as providing a slightly tanned color to the cookies themselves. These cookies came out soft and crumbly, so I recommend you give this recipe a try!

Depending on what size you want your cookies to be, the yield will differ. In my case, I made 12 small cookies (1 tbsp dough balls) for my first batch. I put the rest of the dough into the freezer so that I can defrost them in the future and bake them whenever I crave some more! Because these cookies contain fresh fruits, it is best to consume them as soon as possible (within 5 days) if you are storing them in an air-tight container at room temperature to help prevent mold growth. Sugar and moisture create the most favorable condition for microorganisms to grow!

Note: Chop strawberries into fine, small bits so they will be easily combined into the cookie dough and not fall out when you are forming the individual cookies! I found that when I had bigger pieces of strawberries, the moisture on the surfaces caused the fruits to slip out, but smaller sizes stayed put.

This recipe yields 36 (3 dozens) small cookies and is ready to serve in 30 minutes!

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Things you’ll need…

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup White Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped Fair Trade 70% Dark Chocolate
• 1/4 cup chopped Walnuts (optional)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 Egg (Room Temperature)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped Fresh Strawberries
• 1/2 cup Softened Butter (Room Temperature)
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

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Instructions

1. Set oven to 350ºF and line cookie pan with wax paper
2. In a medium bowl, briefly whisk together flour and baking soda (set aside)
3. In a small bowl, put in dark chocolates and walnuts, then add in 1 tbsp of the flour mixture to evenly coat the chocolates and walnuts (set aside)
4. In a second small bowl, put in the strawberry bits, then add in another 1 tbsp of the flour mixture to evenly coat the strawberries and absorb any additional moisture (set aside)
5. In a large bowl, use a mixer or whisk to stir butter until creamy
6. Add in both kinds of sugars into the butter and mix until they are evenly distributed into butter
7. Add in vanilla extract and egg, then mix until well-combined
8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then pour in the flour mixture and mix until flour just disappeared
9. Pour in dark chocolates, walnuts, and strawberries and mix briefly to be evenly distributed into the cookie dough
10. Using a 1-tbsp spoon, scoop up a portion of dough and using the palm of your hands, press them into a compact circular ball, then place on cookie pan and slightly flatten the ball with your fingers
11. Put cookies into the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown
12. Take cookies out of oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack

Please let me know your comments and suggestions about how these sweet, fruity, and nutty cookies turned out!

♡LC