January 19, 2014

Strawberry Buttercream Frosted Chocolate Cookies

So with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I am in a pink mood.

To be honest with you, pink is really not normally my color. Though it certainly is for my nine year old daughter who has her room covered in pink from floor to ceiling. But for me, it is not really a staple in my wardrobe or decorating palette.

But on cookies, well…that is a different story! 🙂

So Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate right? And I found myself craving these ultra chocolatey brownie cookies that I originally made back in December with mint chips. They are soft and chewy on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside and very chocolatey. Just like a brownie!! (Doesn’t that just sound delicious!!)

So besides subbing out the mint chips for mini-chocolate chips, I also knew I wanted to slather these cookies with pink frosting. Not just any pink frosting but strawberry buttercream frosting! Oh my heavens!! This frosting is SO delicious!

Can you see those red flecks in the frosting? Those are real strawberries. And it makes this frosting taste out of this world delicious!

Seriously. What could be more Valentine-y than chocolate and strawberries?? And when the chocolate is in a rich soft cookie, and the strawberries are in a fluffy delicious frosting, this is Valentine heaven!!

Strawberry Buttercream Frosted Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 oz. semi-sweet baking squares, melted
1/4 c. milk
1 12 oz bag of mini-chocolate chips

For the strawberry buttercream frosting

1 c. butter -softened
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. pureed or finely chopped strawberries
4-5 c. powdered sugar

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla, mixing until incorporated. In a medium bowl, strain together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
Place flour mixture, melted chocolate and milk alternately in the mixing bowl and mix after each incorporation until fully mixed. Stir in the chips.
Using a large cookie scoop, Place cookies a few inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes making sure not to over bake.(I take them out at EXACTLY 13 minutes. Even if they look too soft, remove them from the oven! They will set as they sit on the baking sheet) Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to set before removing them to a cooling rack. Let fully cool before frosting them.

Make the frosting

Place the soft butter in a medium mixing bowl and, using the whip attachment, whip the butter for 3 to five minutes. ( The more you whip the butter, the fluffier your frosting will be).
Puree several strawberries (with stems removed) in a food processor or chop them fine.
Add vanilla and pureed strawberries in the mixing bowl and whip with the butter till mixed.
Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and whip the mixture after each incorporation. After the 4th cup is added, make a decision regarding the frosting texture and consistency and decide if another cup is needed.
Spread fresh frosting on fully cooled cookies. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator up to a couple of days.

https://two-in-the-kitchen.com/strawberry-buttercream-frosted-chocolate-cookies/

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