Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cookies

Spring is finally here! 2016 is really flying by. It seems like yesterday when it was just the beginning of March, the dreaded month of long awaited college decisions to come one by one. It's still hard for me to believe that I even applied to college. I still feel 12 tbh. Now it's the beginning of April, which is FULL OF EXCITING THINGS one after the other. Next week is spring break, which I'm going to be spending being a lazy potato and visiting colleges. Then the week after that I'm visiting Berkeley with my breadmate Michelle! Just thinking about waking up at 4 AM and eating McDonald's breakfast at the airport brings a smile to my face. That wasn't sarcastic, I just love going to the airport at inhumane times. So much to look forward to!

To officially start off this exciting spring time, I made chocolate chip cookies with a bright spring twist. This recipe is from Bakerita, one of my favorite food blogs. The combination of flavors she comes up with are simply amazing. When I saw these chocolate dipped strawberry inspired cookies, I pinned them right away. Who doesn't love a chocolate covered strawberry? Then incorporating that into cookie dough? Ingenious.

The freeze-dried strawberries in the cookie add a nice fresh tang that is heavenly with the sweet, dark chocolate. I couldn't imagine what the combination of fruit in chocolate chip cookies would be like, but I'm hooked now. The tanginess of the fruit balances out the sweetness of the cookie perfectly. 

Thanks to Trader Joe's, I have a wide selection of freeze-dried fruits to try incorporating into cookies. Raspberry and white chocolate is a classic combination I would love to try. Also maybe using the freeze-dried banana fruit in coconut cookies? The possibilities are endless. 

Make these cookies for the perfect spring treat. I hope your next spring months are filled with lots of laughter with friends and sunshine!

Recipe

(adapted from Bakerita)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 scant cup light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crumbled

1 cup dark chocolate, chopped

2-3 oz dark chocolate, melted

Crumbled freeze-dried strawberries to top

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream your softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, add your flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk together. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet. Then, fold in the dark chocolate chunks and freeze-dried strawberries. 

4. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

5. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of cookie dough onto your baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Take out the cookies and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely.

6. Pour the melted chocolate into a small Ziploc bag, and cut a tiny bit off the corner. Drizzle the chocolate on the cooled cookies. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle the crumbled strawberries on top.