Easy Chocolate Cookies with Dried Fruit and Nuts
How to make chocolate cookies packed with chopped nuts, dried fruit and chocolate. Jump to the Fruit and Nut Chocolate Cookies Recipe or read on to see our tips for making them. – This Recipe is Sponsored by Gold Medal Flour – They were originally inspired by Joanne’s favorite chocolate bar: Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bar. Each bite is a little different. Chewy and tart from the dried fruit, crunch from nuts and lots of chocolate. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to make the best stuffed cookies with your favorite candy bars. Jump to the Milky Way Stuffed Cookies Recipe. How to Make the Best Chocolate Cookies Packed with Dried Fruit and Nuts The base of our fruit and nut cookies has been borrowed from our popular Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies. It’s one of our favorite cookies to date — the dough itself is addictive. WATCH: How to make our Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies There’s lots of wiggle room with these. You can add whatever you like. In fact, we’ve never really made the same cookie twice. This time we threw a bunch of things in: raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, almonds, white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. These are perfect for clearing out your pantry. Just throw in all the partially used bags of nuts, fruit and chocolate. The cookie dough comes together quickly. Butter and sugars are creamed together then a combination of all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking soda is added. Then we throw in the dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Easy! YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to make soft and chewy bar cookies with peanut butter cups (or your favorite candy) from scratch. Jump to the Easy Bar Cookie Recipe. Recipe updated, originally posted December 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne Easy Chocolate Cookies with Dried Fruit and Nuts PREP 15 mins COOK 15 mins TOTAL 30 mins PREP 15 mins COOK 15 mins TOTAL 30 mins These chocolate cookies are packed with chopped nuts, dried fruit and chocolate. They were originally inspired by Joanne’s favorite chocolate bar: Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut Milk Chocolate Bar. There is lots of wiggle room with these – love dried cranberries and white chocolate? Add them. Prefer things to be simple with walnuts and chocolate chips? Great. These are perfect for clearing out your pantry. Just throw in all the partially used bags of nuts, fruit and chocolate. Makes 32 to 34 cookies You Will Need 2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour, we use Gold Medal 3/4 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 18 tablespoons (255 grams or 2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar 1 cup (200 grams) lightly packed brown sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups (350 grams) chocolate chips 3/4 cup (115 grams) dried fruit 3/4 cup (75 grams) nuts, toasted and chopped Directions Make Dough 1Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicon baking mats. 2In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. (Or, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Reduce speed to low. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 3Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the flour mixture in three parts, just mixing until it disappears. The batter will become very thick. You may need to switch from the handheld mixer to a spatula. Stir in the chocolate, fruit and nuts. Make Dough 1Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicon baking mats. 2In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. (Or, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Reduce speed to low. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 3Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the flour mixture in three parts, just mixing until it disappears. The batter will become very thick. You may need to switch from the handheld mixer to a spatula. Stir in the chocolate, fruit and nuts. Bake Cookies 1Drop heaping-tablespoon-sized mounds of cookie dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. (Or use a medium cookie scoop). Bake the cookies until the cookies have puffed a little and the tops look dry, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Bake Cookies 1Drop heaping-tablespoon-sized mounds of cookie dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. (Or use a medium cookie scoop). Bake the cookies until the cookies have puffed a little and the tops look dry, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Adam and Joanne's Tips Storing the Cookies: Baked and cooled cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Freeze Cookie Dough: Keep in mind that you can freeze this cookie dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop individual dough balls onto the baking sheet (they can be close together), and then place in the freezer until hard, about 30 minutes. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight container or plastic bag. Recipe tweaked from our Double Chocolate Cookies Recipe, which was originally inspired by Food 52’s Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. Storing the Cookies: Baked and cooled cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Freeze Cookie Dough: Keep in mind that you can freeze this cookie dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop individual dough balls onto the baking sheet (they can be close together), and then place in the freezer until hard, about 30 minutes. Transfer frozen dough balls to an airtight container or plastic bag. Recipe tweaked from our Double Chocolate Cookies Recipe, which was originally inspired by Food 52’s Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste AUTHOR: Adam Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us