There is nothing more satisfying than having a delicious dinner with very little effort after a very busy day. Part of my very busy day was just a pleasure – getting to cook with Meryll Rose on Talk of the Town. (Click to view) Meryll is an excellent cook herself, so it just feels like we are enjoying a moment in the kitchen. I prepared two recipes of Parmesan Meatballs Marinara, left one for the crew at Newschannel 5, and brought one home for dinner. It was nice to go about the rest of the day without out that nagging “what to cook for dinner” feeling.
Hours later as I popped our pre-made dinner in the oven to heat, I thought, wouldn’t it be particularly lovely to have a little after dinner treat that was just as quick but still a yummy homemade dessert. As luck would have it – I had that too. I always admire those people – you know who you are – that have freezers stocked with meals for the week, and pantries overflowing with items that allow one to have a meal practically at the snap of a finger. I am sadly not that person, but I did have a roll of homemade cookie dough saved in the fridge after making cookies for friends last week. Cookie dough that you can rollup –stash in the fridge – and take out as you need it is a marvelous thing. Some of the recipes for rolled cookie dough are pretty basic – not that there is anything wrong ever with a warm homemade cookie. But when you have cookie dough with cherries, chocolate, a hint lime, and a pinch of salt – well you have something amazing. The best part is you can even keep the dough for Cherry and Chocolate Cookies happily rolled in plastic wrap, in your freezer for months and, with a 20-minute thaw while your oven preheats, be ready to slice your cookies and bake them in about 12 minutes. That is a very satisfactory feeling. I think I could enjoy always keeping Cherry and Chocolate Cookies on hand and I think that is just what I will do. Hope you make these along with an extra batch to stash in your freezer!
Cherry Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies
Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour
Zest of one lime
½ tsp salt
½ cup dried cherries, chopped
Directions
In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add cocoa powder to incorporate.
Add flour, lime zest, and salt and mix to thoroughly combine.
Add cherries and mix until incorporated.
Remove dough (will be sticky) from mixer and roll into a log shape in plastic wrap.
Let dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking. (Keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen after this time – thaw to bake)
To bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Slice cookie about ¼ inch thick and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just set. Allow to cool before removing.
Enjoy!
