Chunky truffle cookies with layers of bittersweet chocolate tones. A sweet tanginess comes from the surprise bits of cherries inside!
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what someone is going through just by looking on the surface. That’s been me these past couple of months– nothing noticeably amiss on the outside, but miserable on the inside. And I’m not saying this to be dramatic. Lord knows I hate that. But this crappiness I’ve been feeling is no joke, and these Triple Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies tried very hard to make me feel better.
To be entirely honest, I hate being in this predicament. I hate that I’m writing about it at all. But I’m afraid that if I don’t, I might burst. Despite what people may assume, I don’t like to overdramatize things. I like being straight and frank because I HATE wasting my time on things or people that matter very little to me. And misery– it’s certainly a feeling that I believe to be a waste of emotions, time, and energy. But I can’t seem to wrangle it out of my system. Worst part? I’ve been stuck in this swamp for months.
I haven’t been feeling like myself. The fact that I’ve been entertaining the thought of shutting down this blog is proof enough. But then I remember that I’ve invested too much time, energy, and money into this blog already. Also, I remember that giving up things that I love deep in my heart brings only regret and sadness. I’ve been there and done that. It’s not worth a repeat.
But there it is. The doubts. It’s not that I am lacking in ideas or plans… I’m so full of them in fact that maybe that’s what frustrates me even more. That I haven’t put my plans into action. But I’m just so effing exhausted. Of everything. Of the way things are. Of the fact that I feel like I’m leaving so little of myself for myself these days. It doesn’t help that every time I open my dashboard, my stats are telling me how much of a failure I’m turning into, because the numbers keep shrinking by the day.
A few months ago, when this feeling of misery began, I switched from my old planner to a new one, thinking that would help me maybe feel like I’m starting afresh. As I was looking through my old planner to see if there was anything I needed to transfer, a piece of paper fell out. It was a torn-out notebook page with a recipe on it. It was of these Triple Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies, which I had copied from a blog that I used to love and follow religiously as a teen. It was one of the blogs that inspired me to make my own, actually, but one that I had stopped following for some reason.
So I went online to seek out this blog, and found that its owner had, many years ago, stopped blogging altogether. But it’s still on the interwebs. As I read through her post for these Triple Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies, I was reminded of the passion the author of the blog possessed that made me respond to her. I flash-backed to the many hours I spent just looking through the recipes of this site, and how this recipe had jumped out at me. So I decided to make it, at long last. It might have been 10 years since I copied this recipe.
These Triple Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies don’t look like much, but what they lack in appearance they make up for in flavor, times three. You get three kinds of chocolate in the dough, giving the cookies a deep chocolate flavor that skews bitter at the end. It’s sweetness comes from the cherries added into the dough, and to me it’s just the right amount. These cookies are very much chocolatey, and I doubt anybody who makes this would disagree.
As I munched away on these cookies, my mind started wondering what this blogger is up to these days. Did she stop blogging because adult life had caught up with her, or did she, like me, start having doubts about the worth of what she was doing? Sometimes I ask myself if all that I do here is worth anything at all. Sometimes, it doesn’t really seem like anybody cares enough to read all this stuff. In fact, maybe nobody would read all that I’ve written here today. I don’t mind, since this isn’t something that I want to shout to the world exactly.
But still, I feel like in the end, I would care. What on earth would I do to fill the hole stopping would make? How do I stop myself from tapping into who I really am– someone who gets a thrill out of creating things? But gosh, how the hell do I get back in the groove?! I hope I find my answers soon. At least there’s one mystery I can strike off from my mind: I now know that these cookies are as good as advertised.
Nevermind all the “drama” I just shared with you up there. Make these cookies and bask in their glorious darkness. We all owe ourselves some chocolate no matter what we’re going through.
Triple Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cookies
About 16 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, optional
- 142 grams 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 113 grams 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 8 Tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter (cold is fine)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon instant coffee/espresso or freshly ground coffee
- 113 grams 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- 3/4 cup 128 grams/4.5 ounces dried cherries, chopped
Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Set aside.
- 2. In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt together the bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and butter. Stir frequently until smooth and completely homogenous, then remove from heat. Let cool for about 10 minutes before using.
- 3. Meanwhile, in a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), start beating the eggs on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until the eggs triple in volume and lines begin forming in the mixture where the whisk or the beaters run. This will take about 10 minutes.
- 4. Add the coffee grounds and beat another minute. Lower the mixer speed to low (or switch to a spatula) and add the cooled melted chocolate. Beat until incorporated.
- 5. Using a spatula, fold in the prepared dry ingredients, semisweet chocolate, and dried cherries. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix! The batter will be very runny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours. (These cookies can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
- 6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 to 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a scooper with a two-tablespoon capacity to portion the batter into large mounds. Place 2-inches apart and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges of the cookies are set. The cookies puff in the oven really nicely but fall a bit once removed. Let cool on the sheets completely. Enjoy with milk or coffee.
Notes
