Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, is high in antiinflammatories and antioxidants that may help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, and maintain cognitive function.
If you make this week’s recipe for Chocolate Chip and Dried Cherry Cookies, you are in for a real treat. These cookies are delicious and surprisingly low in fat. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody.
“How can you stay worried when someone gives you warm chocolate chip cookies?”
–Faith Hunter
Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Cooking in Real Life: Delicious and Doable Recipes for Every Day, Lydey Heuck (2024)
Notes
An egg white is made up of ~10% protein (a chain of amino acids) and ~90% water, so it provides both hydration and structure to the final product. The proteins in an egg white are globular, meaning that they are more or less spherical in shape with the hydrophobic amino acids (repelled by water) toward the inside and hydrophilic amino acids (attracted to water) toward the outside. When egg whites are whisked or whipped, air bubbles are introduced, unfolding the proteins with the hydrophilic amino acids staying in the egg white and the hydrophobic amino acids surrounding the surface of the air bubbles. The uncurled proteins then bond with each other, creating a network that can hold the air bubbles in place. The protein bonds in room temperature egg whites are looser to start with, so it is easier to beat air into them. Also, it is best to use a glass or stainless-steel bowl for whisking; plastic tends to retain a film of fat, which is also attracted to air bubbles, causing them to pop.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature (room temperature is considered to be 68–72°F. Eggs are easier to separate when cold, however)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (275 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted (confectioner’s sugar [aka powdered sugar] is made by pulverizing regular granulated white sugar to a powder; since it attracts water from the air, cornstarch is added to prevent clumping)
- ¾ cup (72 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (regular Hershey’s brand, a natural [acidic] cocoa powder, works fine)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand has larger grains than Morton’s, which is flattened into flakes. If the brand is not specified in a recipe, I generally use Diamond Crystal to avoid saltiness)
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder (optional) (espresso powder is made from darkly roasted coffee beans that are ground, brewed into espresso, dried, and then ground even further to make a very fine dissolvable powder. It is added to accentuate the flavor of chocolate)
- ⅓ cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks so they are evenly spaced apart. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and spray each with cooking oil.
- In a large stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bowl, whisk the egg whites and vanilla extract until lightly frothy, about 15 seconds. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) and whisk until incorporated. This will take a few minutes and the batter will be very thick, almost like frosting. With a spoon, fold in the dried cherries and chocolate chips.
- Spoon 6 mounds (2 tablespoons) of batter onto each prepared sheet pan, spacing them evenly apart. Bake the cookies until the tops crackle and the edges are just set, 11–13 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the pans; they will firm up as they cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.