Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Fudge Cookies

I feel like I have posted a lot of chocolate recipes lately. Somehow chocolate has managed to creep itself into a lot of the desserts I have made lately. I am not complaining though. I have come to really appreciate chocolate. Kate of The Clean Plate furthered my appreciation of chocolate by choosing Chocolate Fudge Cookies for this month's Cookie Carnival. These cookies were chewy, chocolatey, and crispy (compliments of the toffee). This is the type of cookie that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I omitted the cherries because we aren't fans of baked fruits, but I made up for it by adding extra toffee :)

Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries
Source: Regan Daley's In The Sweet Kitchen

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup plump, moist, dried sour cherries (I omitted)
8 oz. bitter or semisweet chocolate chopped into chunks about the size of the cherries
1 cup English toffee pieces for baking such as Skor Bits

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two heavy baking sheets, not non-stick, with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour-mixture in 3 additions, blending just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the chunky ingredients and mix until they seem evenly distributed.

2. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets and place them in the center of the oven. If you have a large, evenly tempered oven, place the 2 sheets in at once, on two racks positioned close to the middle of the oven. switch the position of the trays once during baking. If your oven is small, or tends to have hot or cold spots, bake one tray at a time so the cookies bake evenly.

3. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, or until barely set in the center and just firm around the edges. Rotate the sheets once or twice. Cool the cookies on the tray for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before storing. Store the cookies in airtight containers, layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper for up to 5 days.

How amazing does this look?

Fabulous!