Ever since I first had Esan Thai cuisine, I find myself yearning for spice experiences that set my mouth ablaze. This Valentine’s, I’m celebrating my newfound love of heat by combining it with my enduring love of dark chocolate.
Naming this cookie has not been easy. Is it Chili Cherry Chocolate, or Cherry Chili Chocolate, or Cherry Chocolate Chili? As it stands, the final cookie name presents the ingredients in descending order of intensity (forgive this nerd). The first bite is pleasantly chocolaty, and you might even get a slight chewy nibble of the sour cherry, plump with kirsch. As you continue eating this cookie, the heat starts spreading and spreading until you’re done eating the cookie and then promptly reach for another.
Yes, I offer these for Valentine’s Day. It’s got chocolate in it, so who am I stand in the way of popular American culture? That said, you don’t have to make these for anyone. It can be just you and these cookies.
A word of caution: if you do plan on gifting them, make sure your Valentine(s) likes spicy stuff. He or she will either attack you (in the good way) or run away . . . depending on your motivation!
The recipe can easily be doubled, notice the funny 1 1/2 eggs? (Feel free to to avoid the waste and make a mini omelette with the remaining eggs.) But if you do double these up, you can make them gigantic, too. Isn’t that convenient? Just scale back on both chili and ancho chili powders.
i say two ancho, you say one ancho
The husband liked these just fine the first time I made them (along with the cardamom cookies). I used less spice that first time, 1/2 tsp less of each, ancho and chili. Olive enjoyed the subtlety of the heat as a background surprise. However, as I finished nibbling on that first batch and sat down to make notes on the recipe, I thought they could use more kick. I’d like to think I’m a braver soul and Olive hasn’t fully developed his tolerance level for heat. But I’m not asking you take sides, I’m just giving you all the facts.
chocolate chili cherry cookies
Makes 30 2″ cookies
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 ounce 72% dark chocolate
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces brown sugar
2 1/2 ounces white sugar
1 1/2 large eggs (aprox. 150 ml beaten )
7/8 cups sifted, then measured cake flour
4 ounces dried sour cherries
1/3 cups kirsch
Soak the tart cherries in all of the kirsch for at least 1/2 hour before you start on these cookies. Even better, soak them overnight, covered and at room temperature. And if you think you might like them, soak all the dried cherries in more kirsch and store them in a well sealed freezer bag for use in these cookies or as an ice cream topping.
Melt the semisweet and dark chocolate in a double boiler and let cool slightly while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until the mixture is light in texture and color. Add the eggs. Add the chocolate to the creamed sugar in thirds and fold in. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, folding in until no white flour is visible and do not overmix. Add in the sour cherries and refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325º and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1/2 tbsp of cookie dough onto the pan, keeping them 1″ apart from one another. Bake for 12-14 minutes. If you bake them exactly for 12, they will be crispy on the outside but still have a soft and chewy interior. Let the cookies cool slightly on the pan before you move them off to a cooling rack.
More Valentine’s Day recipes
These cookies have also been entered in a Valentine’s Day roundup hosted by The Naptime Chef and Savor the Thyme. Go check out more yummy recipes and the holiday roundup on February 18th.
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I love the sound of this combination, a good way to turn up the heat on Valentine’s Day! Always looking for another good chocolate cookie recipe–thanks.
Uhm, just me and the cookies, please. I can attest to how good they are. And I’m not going to take sides on the level of spice—I’ll devour them either way. And for a belated Valentine’s Day sentiment, I’ll say to the Naked Beet: I LOVE your blog, and happy anniversary!
i, too am a huge fan of chili and chocolate, and to add cherries to it? decadent and gorgeous! interesting that you use cake flour- probably makes them silky and soft, if that makes sense. x shayma
Sally, there can never be too many chocolate cookie recipes, right?
ACP, thanks for the anniversary wishes!
Shayma, yes, the cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with a nice slight crunch at the top because of the cake flour, almost like fudgy brownies.