These cookies have it all. They are rich, gooey, chocolaty, crunchy, chewy, tart, smooth, and satisfying. These cookies are the cookies for people who don’t like cookies.

Made with dark chocolate, dark chocolate chunks, cocoa nibs, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and a rich double chocolate stout made by Rogue, this cookie really has something for everyone. I was a skeptic of using dried fruits in baked goods until I tried this mixture. There is something about a rich dark chocolate cookie getting a lift from a tart and chewy dried piece of fruit. I cut the dried fruit into small pieces so it was evenly incorporated throughout the cookies. The last thing I wanted is to have a giant chunk of dried fruit stuck in anyone’s teeth. That’s not pretty.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of AP Flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of beer

12 oz. of dark chocolate chips or chunks

1 1/2 cups of finely chopped dried fruit (I used cherries and cranberries)

1 cup cocoa nibs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with silpats and/or parchment paper. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter together with the two sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one-by-one until incorporated and then add the beer. Add the flour mixture gradually on a low speed until combined. Don’t over-mix. Take off the electric mixer and using a spatula mix in the cocoa nibs, chocolate and dried fruit.

3. Using a cookie scoop, put the dough on the prepared baking sheets. The cookies will spread so leave about 2 inches apart. Cook for 7 minutes then rotate and cook for another 5 minutes. The cookies will take between 12-15 minutes depending on your oven and baking pan. The cookies surface should crack. The darker the pan, the faster the cookies can burn. I learned that the hard way!

4. Leave hot cookies on the pan to cool for at least 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack.

Yield: 36 cookies

Lasts: 3 days or so

Time: 45 minutes

Difficulty Level: Easy