Does your grocery store put out samples? The ones I go to do and, really, it’s pretty ingenious on their part because I always end up buying things I wouldn’t have otherwise. I am just that impressionable. And this is how I ended up getting dried strawberries. I tried them and they were so yummy and chewy and strawberry-y that I had to get them. Even though they were $7 and look like rabbit poop.
I usually don’t buy a lot of dried fruit because, although it’s healthy, it’s pretty dense when it comes to calories. A serving size is usually a quarter cup, which is meager. Meager! So what do I do with dried fruit? I bake with it. I really wouldn’t have bought these super expensive rabbit-poop looking dried strawberries if I hadn’t had the idea to use them in cookies. And not just any cookies–chewy chocolate strawberry cookies! (Yes, if you read my blog regularly, you might recognize most of this recipe from my Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies–hush! It’s not plagiarism if you’re stealing from yourself!)
With the chocolate chips and strawberries, these are kind of reminiscent of chocolate covered strawberries. If you can’t find chewy dried strawberries at your local supermarket, other dried fruits would work well too–I’d try apricots, cherries, or even cranberries.
Chewy chocolate cookies are good, but chewy chocolate cookies with bits of strawberries in them? Even better!
Ingredients
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/3 c. butter, softened
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 c. chewy dried strawberries, chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until combined and any lumps are broken up. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using a mixer on high speed. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined. Set mixer to low speed and slowly add flour mixture. Beat until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and strawberries.
- Drop tablespoons of batter two inches apart onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. (Don't overbake or the cookies won't be chewy!) Cook on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.
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ok, so i’m gonna fed ex you some fluffy snow, and you’ll fed ex me some of these cookies..Deal?
Ha! I have a big Tupperware container of them in the freezer with your name on it.
I have never seen anything like this! What a scrumptious pairing. Yum!
Thank you! Chocolate and strawberries always go well together, so I’m surprised we don’t see them in cookies more often.
Yum! I always avoid those taste testers
I love dried fruit!
I seem to always go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, so the free samples often end up tiding me over until lunch!
The cookies look fantastic, but girl, I can’t believe you bought those rabbit poopberries!
I wouldn’t have bought the poopberries if I hadn’t been able to try them first! They taste so good. You just have to close your eyes when you eat them.
I would have never guessed that those were dried strawberries!! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen those before. The cookies look fantastic. You just can’t beat the chocolate and strawberry flavor combination, can you?
I don’t think I’ve seen them prior to sampling them–I’ve only seen the freeze-dried kind, which are more tart than sweet. These are very sweet and very soft, so they’re perfect in cookies!
I’m glad you put those dried strawberries in a decadent chocolate cookie because they sure aren’t much to look at sitting there on their own haha! I love anything that is strawberry/raspberry/cranberry and chocolate–the acidity and sweetness is an addicting combination. These look delicious!
Yeah, I think the dried strawberries definitely look like health food, in the worst possible sense of the term.
They are amazingly delicious though. Like candy!
I LOVVVEEEE dried strawberries. Trader Joes used to carry them when I was younger, but now I can only find them for ridiculous prices at places like Whole Foods.
I always get so mad at Trader Joe’s because I’ll get hooked on something they sell and then they cruelly take it away. They had this awesome frozen Asian mushroom mix (I know, frozen mushrooms! but they were good, I swear!) and I still feel embittered that they stopped carrying them a few years back.
I would never have thought to use dried strawberries in a cookie but these look (and sound!) amazing! I’m bookmarking this recipe to try soon.
Thank you! I hope they turn out well for you–we love them!
Don’t get me started on the samples…. this weekend, my husband (after his 5th sample of the same thing) asked me what a socially acceptable amount of samples to take was…. He just looses all self control around samples!
I too love dried fruit – and love the idea of putting it in cookies!!
Ha! My husband is the same way. We’ll be at Whole Foods and he’ll want to go down aisles where we don’t even need anything so he can look for samples.
I’m not that bad!
Oh I agree chocolate and strawberries go great together.
The only dried strawberries I’ve had are the baby food variety and they weren’t bad so I’m sure these are infinitely better. What a great recipe for Valentine’s Day and a new spin on chocolate covered strawberries!
Yeah, I was actually thinking about posting this closer to Valentine’s Day, but I was too impatient! I’m going to have to keep my eye out for baby food dried strawberries.
those sound and look delicious!
These look fabulous.
These look fantastic!
Haha, rabbit poop.
But I love cookies, and these look yummy.
Finally went grocery shopping bought a French Apple Tart from Whole Foods. ( note, I only buy a few items at the money eater.)
It was good, but I like chocolate much better.
Oh, I love the French Apple Tart they sell! But I’m a huge fan of apples.
Usually we only buy the things we can’t get anywhere else at Whole Foods and do the rest of our shopping elsewhere. Although they do have good sales, especially when you combine them with coupons!
Definitely pinned this- these sound amazing! I’ve never even SEEN dried Strawberry but I bet if I look I can find it!
You might be able to find them in the bulk section of your grocery store. They are definitely tricky to find, but they taste so good!
I just got some ciron tea that I sampled at the asian market. I’m the same way with sample stuff (one of the many, many reasons I love Trader Joe’s… samples!) and I like that you can try something new without it being such a shot in the dark.
I have to look for dried strawberries now, because I so want to make these.
Your Trader Joe’s has samples?! Ours usually only has one and it always seems to be some frozen food with meat in it. Boo.
how do you think this would work with frozen strawberries (defrosted, obviously) if i don’t have dried? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure. Frozen strawberries do tend to be very wet, so I think I’d thaw them out in a strainer in order to drain off as much moisture as possible before adding them to the cookie dough. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!