Do you like surprises?
That could go either way for me depending on the situation and circumstances.
Good Surprise: Finding an excuse to create a new cookie recipe.
Good surprise: Oh! Nuts allowing me to select something from their vast online store to use for my holiday baking.
Good surprise: I selected dark chocolate covered strawberries and stuffed them into these cookies and biting into them is a surprise party for your taste buds.
The proverbial expression, “Like a kid in a candy store” literally described me as I was browsing over the thousands of items they carry and trying to decide what to order.
These chocolate covered strawberries sounded too good to pass up and I’m glad I chose them.
These resulting cookies are very dark chocolatey. They’re the cookie equivalent of a really dark rich brownie.
Not overly sweet and full of rich, dark, intense chocolate flavor.
The cookies are very soft and chewy, too, and not dry in the least.
They’re everything I want in a double chocolate cookie with the added surprise of chocolate covered strawberries.
It’s not essential that you have chocolate covered strawberries to stuff in these cookies, but it sure makes for a nice surprise if you do.
Or check out Oh! Nuts’ other chocolate-covered dried fruit such as pineapple, cherries, apricots, blueberries. I could have a major field day shopping.
But for now, the field day is right here with one of these.
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Stuffed Dark Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies with Chocolate Covered Strawberries (with Vegan & Gluten Free options)
(Note: Stuffing them is optional and what you stuff them with is up to you. The recipe can be made without stuffing them)
1/2 c butter, softened
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 /2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c + chocolate chips (I used TJ’s dark chocolate chips; if you are not stuffing them with anything, you may want to increase this amount to 1/2 c or 2/3 c, or more as desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large mixing bowl combine room-temperature softened butter and sugars and whip by hand (or do it in a mixer but I did it by hand). Add the vanilla extract, egg, baking soda, and cocoa powder and stir to combine. Then add the flour, slowly, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
I suggest putting the mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes and chilling the dough before scooping onto cookie sheets.
After 10 minutes or so, scoop the chilled dough onto Silpat-lined, parchment-lined, or sprayed cookie sheets in 1 inch balls, about 2 inches apart. I highly recommend this cookie scoop. It has changed the results of my baking dramatically. Available at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $4 bucks.
After you have scooped out the cookie dough balls, stuff them with the chocolate-covered strawberries. I lightly nestled 1 chocolate covered strawberry into each cookie and on some cookies I folded the dough over and made a complete “seal” and on others, I left them partially “open” so that you could see a glimpse of the chocolate-covered strawberry peeking out. Your choice.
Bake at 325F for 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven even if they look a bit underdone as they will firm up. Allow the cookies to cool well on the cookie sheets before attempting to remove them.
Yields: 19 small/medium cookies using my 1 inch cookie scoop. Or, I would expect to yield about one dozen larger sized cookies.
Optional:
In addition to not “having to” stuff with anything, you could stuff them with just about anything that strikes your fancy or you have on hand, i.e. Snickers Bar Stuffed Cookies, stuff with leftover Halloween candy, chocolate-covered cherries, a dollop of cream cheese, a few pieces of dried fruit like raisins, dates, or mango, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, marshmalllows, etc.
Add more than 1/3 c of chocolate chips or use other kinds of chips such as peanut butter, toffee bits, or white chocolate chips.
To make the cookies even darker and richer in chocolate flavor, increase the cocoa powder from 1/4 c to 1/3 c and reduce the flour by a few tablespoons.
To make gluten free, use a gluten free flour blend.
To make vegan, use margarine or Earth Balance in place of the butter and use 1 chia/flax egg instead of the egg.
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These were definitely a good surprise.
The cookies remind me quite a bit of the Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve made in the past, but today’s recipe has no peanut butter.
And there’s something about how dark and rich the stuffed cookies are that makes me think of Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting which are the richest, moistest, and most decadent brownies I have ever eaten and I’m a tough critic.
I going to make these for holiday parties because I think they’re unique and different and I can’t wait to see the expression on people’s faces when they bite into the surprise.
It was great watching Scott and Skylar’s expression as they ate these. Skylar asked me, “Mommy what is this little ball in the cookies?” and I tried to explain the concept of chocolate-covered dried fruit to a four year old.
She nodded and just kept chewing her cookie and with her chocolate stained face said, “Mommy, I really like these little balls inside your cookies”.
Good Surprise: Cooking and baking for my family and seeing their joy when they like something makes me really happy.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week with lots of good surprises and happy times with your friends and loved ones.
And hopefully there’s cookies involved.
Questions:
1. Are you a chocolate fan?
If you say no, I don’t fully understand you. But I know some people are just meh about chocolate. My mother is actually one of those people. She’d rather have banana bread than chocolate cake or would rather have a piece of apple pie than a chocolate cookie.
For me, I love desserts of all kinds but chocolate is very near and dear to my heart. Check out my Chocolate Recipes category if you need proof.
2. Have you ever had chocolate covered strawberries, cherries, or any other chocolate-covered items?
Chocolate Covered Oreo Bites and No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles come to mind for me.
And so do memories of chocolate-covered cherries from Russel Stover’s candy boxes on many Valentine’s Days in years past. I actually don’t like them that much but my dad loves those things. Something about the gooey “juice” inside them I am not crazy about. I’d rather have a cookie.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving Week!
I have some dark chocolate covered pomegranates that I think would work quite well in this recipe.
OMG…I gain 5 pounds everytime I look at one of your posts. These have me drooling and I wish I could make them. Guess I will just have to keep staring at the computer screen and imagining what they taste like…
I try to bake in small batch sizes for that very reason :)
just stumbled on these… yum! i saw dark chocolate covered cherries at Trader Joe’s today, I’m sure they would be great in these cookies too!
Yes TJ’s has tons of great dried fruit/covered in chocolate.
I’m a chocoholic that doesn’t care about the nutritional value, though I should. You just made me go from hungry to starving! :)
I like the way you think re the nutritional value…I don’t care either. It’s…dessert! Who cares :)
These look wonderful as I’m a chocoholic!!!! But can’t seem to find the nutritional info anywhere. How many calories is each cookie and grams of fat?
I have no idea. Feel free to plug the numbers into an online program that does that sort of thing and see for yourself.
I am definitely a chocolate fan, but I don’t really like chocolate covered fruit, unless it is a chocolate fondue. I do like chocolate covered nuts and coconut however.
Awesome recipe, you are the cookie queen. Of course I like chocolate! And chocolate covered fruit! :-)
I saw these on Foodgawker first and couldn’t wait to come over to see the recipe. Chocolate covered strawberries sound pretty amazing; I could only imagine how nicely the flavor blends into the cookie.
Thanks, Evan, for the compliments and for noticing them on FG :)
I know you got set up with the OhNuts action, too. I highly rec the choc covered strawberries…or blueberries!
Chocolate-covered treats are some of the best things ever. These look delicious! I wonder if I could make the flourless version with the surprise in them. Because that sounds so amazing right now!
Yummmm, you always have such awesome ideas!
Those cookies look very decadent and delicious, great photos!
That is such a great idea to make cookies even more special! Love it!
Holy shut the front door – these look incredible! And Averie, your photos are off the chart ridic! Look at you go…
thanks, Callie. Hope life is calming down for you a bit! :)
Finding chocolate INSIDE chocolate is always a welcome surprise! LOL
Plus, chocolate and cherries make magic together.
I am definitely a chocolate fan. I think I love chocolate more than sugar nowadays. I crave for something chocolatey without having it too sweet.
Love the suprise bite in these cookies. I would have never thought of putting strawberries in my cookies, but I am sure it is delicious since it’s covered with chocolate too.
Oh my goodness- dried strawberries are pretty much the greatest thing since, well, the strawberry, in my opinion, and I just about jumped out of my chair when I saw this chocolate covered version! Those chocolate cookies look DIVINE, and I love that there’s a gluten free version!! =)
Wow I never knew they had chocolate covered dried strawberries, sounds like a good combo to me. Although if chocolate is in the title I am usually a fan. These cookies look so fantastic, thanks for the recipe and idea!!
Chocolate covered strawberries? Yum! And then putting them in cookies? Double-yum!
Oh Man! those cookies look fabulous! I am the biggest chocolate fan and I especially love anything covered in chocolate. Chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered gummy bears! Love it all.
Your photos are so beautiful. They really make the food pop! I want a cookie right now.
I LOVE chocolate! Preferably in a warm gooey cookie, cake or brownie instead of candy. But a dark chocolate almond works in a pinch.
What a great idea, I never thought to use those filled candies. I’m going to have to try it!
Beautiful post girl!! These cookies look AMAZING :) xxoo
Happy Thanksgiving week to you….hope you’re not cooking too much or slaving in the kitchen too much. You’ve already done your TGiving and had the leftovers from what I can tell from your posts :)
My first thought when I saw the picture of the top cookie sliced open with that gorgeous little chocolate-covered strawberry stuffed in there (and perfectly centered, I must say – kudos on your precision): “I die.” I stand by this and want you to know that these cookies look wonderful!
Thanks, Sally :)
I don’t even know if calling myself a fan is the right word… chocolate and I have a full on relationship! I love chocolate covered fruit too: strawberries, bananas, orange peel, raspberries, and cherries all have been drowned in chocolate in my kitchen.
I can’t even imagine how amazing those cookies taste! I want!
Am I a chocolate fan??? Am I a chocolate fan!?!?!!?! What a question! Chocolate is life. I adore it and eat some every single day. Lately I’ve been loving Lindt’s dark chocolate with chili. Mmmmm….
I also really love chocolate covered strawberries, it’s such a great flavor combination. These cookies would make me VERY happy!
Oh what an awesome idea! I’ve seen white chocolate covered strawberries in the supermarket here but I’ve never thought of using them in a cookie. They look amazing!
Chocolate. Chocolate all the way. If I made these cookies (whick is HIGHLY likely) I might cover them in chocolate. Yeah, I might need a chocolate intervention. Whatever.
Mmm these cookies look amazing! I didn’t even know that chocolate covered strawberries existed!
I didn’t either til I found them on that site…other fruits yes, but not strawberries.
Ooooooo my!!! Ok, these look amazing! I swear girl, I come over here and bookmark everything and don’t have the time to make them! LOL, christmas there will be a lot of LVAY Treats poppin up on IHW! Let me tell you :)
Love you, doll!
xxoo
wish we could bake together!
Those look divine! What a great idea.
I love chocolate covered strawberries. My Mom used to make them (well, still does!) whenever it’s a special occasion, or as a treat whenever we needed something to pick us up. Such wonderful memories. I’ve never thought of doing anything else with them aside from eating them – now you’ve got my brain going!
I love the name of your blog title. My hubs is Jewish….oy vey is uttered about 100x a day in our house over something or other :)
Aww, you are too kind! I’m a constant oy vey utterer myself. I have to watch myself, or I’ll slip into other exasperated sayings, like “You’re not eating enough!” or “When will I have grandchildren?” Luckily, I don’t have kids yet.
I used to seriously dislike chocolate when I was younger. The worst was getting chocolate as a gift! Yes, I was weird… As I’m getting older, I like it more and more…
Oh man those cookies look so good. In general, I try to stay away from sweets. I’m that annoying woman at birthday parties saying “no” to cake, while my friends try and talk me into it with “it’s one slice of cake!” (did you see how hard I was hitting the chips and salsa ladies??)
However, as I told them – it’s not that I don’t LIKE sweets, it’s that I learned at about the age of 31 that I just can’t eat them indiscriminately, if I want to maintain my weight (no matter how much I exercise). So, I limit my sweets to what I REALLY REALLY like. And cake isn’t on that list.
But those cookies? Totally on the list. At the top. Yum.
Holy delicious! What a great idea and the red is so festive! I love this idea for Christmas day snacks. I zipped on over to Oh! Nuts and I think the chocolate covered blueberries and apricots look mighty tasty, too. Strawberries would be my first choice, though. Especially for a Christmas dessert!
I love the smell and the taste of chocolate, especially coming straight from the oven. If I didn’t have so many food allergies, my ideal dessert would be: ultra-moist chocolate chip peanut butter doughnuts with extra chocolate glaze dripping off the top and sides. Mmmmm…..
And, your photos are good enough to eat! :-)
I also got choc covered blueberries but havent even started those yet. Wont be baking with them, just eating them :)
I absolutely love the chocolate covered strawberry surprise :) (I’m a surprise lover already though!) I’ve never seen these before, but I love the concept and think you made the perfect choice in baking with them!
thanks :)
I really don’t like surprises but these cookies are def. one I would enjoy! I love chocolate-covered strawberries! Totally bookmarked this one to try. and I always think it’s funny how so many of life’s intricacies sound bizarre when explained to a small child. “Hamsters are pets and mice are disgusting disease carrying rodents…” ??
Skylar asks me some crazy questions sometimes and I wonder…well, should I answer her like she’s 4 or like she’s 14…b/c sometimes the questions she asks are far beyond her years but I don’t want to confuse her so it’s always a grab bag with how I answer. I’m sure you can relate!
Oh yum!! If I didn’t give up sweets for this week only, I would be making these and definitely ordering chocolate covered strawberries! they sound so good! I am so addicted to strawberries!! But this week I am trying to be good, at least that is what I am telling myself!! Time will tell. However your cookies are on my to do baking list which will more and likely be next week. Have a great week! I just love reading your blog!!
Thanks, Jennifer for reading!
Beautiful pics. I love those candies that have the cherries in them so I am saving this recipe to make for the holidays.
I just love your pics. I wish you would come and show me how to take such amazing pictures.
LOTS of pics and just practice practice practice. To get 10 images I like, I take about 100 pics. I wish I could say there was a shortcut but for me, I havent found it yet :)
OMG dark chocolate covered strawberries in a cookie?? Im coming over…
dare I say it, but these cookies are just plain sexy!!
that’s what I was thinking. they are dark and rich and well… you got it right!
Seriously. Too much. My dad would DIE for these! My grandma send him chocolate covered cherries every Christmas. You are so great. I mostly just wanted to stop by and say hi and you are awesome. Your recipe distracted me.
Hi sweetie, thanks for saying hi!! :)
I really wished I like fruit and chocolate together because your pictures make it look Oh So Good. *sigh*
well you could stuff them with a snickers, butterfinger, twix bar, etc …..or nothing :)
I don’t understand people who don’t like chocolate, either…it makes me wonder how else their perception of the world differs from mine and makes me suspicious – how can you not love chocolate?!?
Those cookies look deleecious – that is a surprise I can definitely get down with! :)
thanks!
Girl, you are after my heart with these cookies. They look fabulous! I live for chocolate and LOVE chocolate covered anything (within reason…no craziness like insects or anything gross).
One of my favorite chocolate covered desserts is figs and/or dates. But yeah, most of the time I’d rather have a cookie. ;-)
LOL. We’re not on Survivor with our desserts now are we :)
LOL, kinda dramatic, right? Speaking of which, I often pose the “chocolate or alcohol” question to friends, as in, if you had to give up on or the other for LIFE, which would it be. I, of course, would give alcohol the boot. Chocolate? Not a chance.
Chocolate covered ginger bites at TJs. Nuff said.
This made me think of you: http://showtellshare.blogspot.com/2011/08/nutella-doughnuts.html
Nice. Love it.
Ive never had the TJs choc covered ginger. Other things but never that. Sometimes eating ginger like that straight up is pretty…intense!
While I’m not a chocolate fan, my sister would probably beat someone up to get her hands on those! And if the GF flour blend works fine, then I have a feeling she’ll be my bestest friend ever if I make these for her (ok, already her BFF, but still….). And LOVE Skylar’s response ;-)
Yes the GF flour is fine! Try it :)
Is it possible to get lactose free-chocolate? I have seen the fondu typed chocolate strawberries, but maybe the strawberries that are completely coated with chocolate are different. Regardless, Trader Joes sells a decent assortment of chocolate covered berries – maybe chunks of strawberries are within them??
Dark chocolate typically doesn’t contain lactose. It’s cocoa powder or cocoa solids. Milk chocolate is another story. The chocolate products I used in this recipe (to my knowledge) to not contain lactose.
You had me at the title on this one. These look so damn good! I love chocolate covered strawberries, cherries, any fruit really. Stuffing them in cookies is pure genius. I might try something like this for Christmas this year. Yum :)
Glad you like the sound of them. Lmk if you end up trying any stuffed cookies.
These cookies look so, so good. I am a die hard chocolate fan. The darker, the better.
I LOVED those Russel Stover’s chocolate covered cherries growing up. I could easily polish off an entire box by myself…and then of course go into a sugar come. It was worth it though. :)
LOL..My dad is that way with those candies. They are too “juicy” for me. Normally I like the gooey factor but not those. Give me frosting instead for gooey factor :)
Chocolate covered strawberries? How fun is that. That website has some of the best products. I like buying bulk nuts and seeds from them! The cookies look fantastic (but your cookies ALWAYS look fantastic). I bet the strawberries are an awesome surprise
These look so tasty! What a great idea. I wonder if i’d be able to find those chocolate covered strawberries somewhere!
Trader Joe’s carries a lot of choc covered dried fruit or check the bulk bins of Whole Foods or other groc stores. And again, not “essential” you stuff the cookies with anything. Just a fun twist.
Oh that’s right! My family used to go to Trader Joe’s all the time when we lived in Massachusetts and I remember getting their chocolate covered strawberries. I loved them! Thanks!
Am I a chocolate fan?!? Is the sky blue?
LOL :)
Ooohh I love this idea!! What a yummy surprise! :D
YUMM! Those look incredible. I love stuffed cookies. Always fun biting into a sweet gooey center. :)
Oh my gosh. You totally outdid yourself here, Averie — these look stunning. I would like about 5 of them to magically appear on my computer desk. I’m obsessed with chocolate — I need to have some 85% or stronger in the house at all times. Trader Joe’s chocolate lover’s chocolate usually. Chocolate covered ginger is a treat I get myself in small quantities — otherwise it somehow disappears…
Thanks, Lauren, for the sweet words :)
I’m actually one of the weirdo’s who doesn’t eat chocolate. It’s not that I don’t like it – it tastes delicious – but it’s not worth the side effects for me. I guess I’m mildly allergic because I get a rash on my face (my dad does too) and have a “lactose-intolerant” kind of gi reaction. I actually thought that it was just the milk chocolate that bothered me but when I tried pure chocolate it was 1000x worse. I don’t know what exactly I’m allergic to but it’s not worth it to me to eat it. I’m pretty obsessed with peanut butter instead!
Oh I am a huge PB fan too. I post all the time about PB but actually didn’t use it in these. But I have a whole compilation of PB recipes :)
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/02/peanut-butter-recipes.html
I use it in everything!
Oh. My. Goodness. These look fantastic! I didn’t know chocolate covered strawberries existed like that but they sound fantastic stuffed into cookies. Averie, you are making me hungry and I don’t have time to bake right now!
I knew choc covered cherries existed, but not strawberries. I was excited too :)