These delicious Valentine’s Day Raspberry Chocolate Cookies are fruity, chocolaty and chewy, with a slight crunch. The juice form fresh raspberries, instead of food coloring, makes these naturally pink cookies —which is fun for the holiday or any day!
With a name like Valentina, how could I not get into the Valentine’s Day spirit? If you read my last recipe, Nutella Brownies Full of Heart, you know how much I love it. And nope, it’s not my birthday. Though when I lived in Spain years ago, I got a lot of attention on el Día de San Valentín. It’s a big deal when it’s your Saint’s Day in Spain. 🙂
I thought it would be fun to make a delightful dessert for Valentine’s Day. And I wanted to use a fruit that would be tasty with chocolate, and make them festive, naturally pink cookies.
I remembered how pretty raspberries made my Raspberry Beet Valentine’s Day Cupcakes, so I gave it a go, and I am so happy with how lovely they look and how good they taste.
I’m not big on food coloring, so I really try to avoid it — and I love how you can use real foods for color!
Here is a small handful of the many foods you can use instead of food coloring:
- Blueberries — Blueberries usually create a light bluish-purple color — periwinkle, if you will. (I love that word!)
- Beets — With beets, you can easily achieve many different levels of a deep, rich, pink-magenta color.
- Annato seeds — These can be used for a golden-color. (Here’s how to use them.)
- Turmeric — This is what gives curries its yellow color, and it can also be used in baked goods, like in this oh-so-beautiful, Upside Down Blood Orange Cake.
- And speaking of blood oranges — They too can create shades of pinks.
Not only do I love the pink color the berries give these Valentine’s Day Raspberry Chocolate Cookies, but the flavor is strong. You will know these naturally pink cookies are made from raspberries the minute you bite into them.
I also think the tiny bits or red are a perfect touch.
Do you like fruit with your chocolate? I want to know.
Some chocolate lovers are purists. I totally get it. Sometimes I need my chocolate to be left alone without interference form any outside flavors.
And sometimes I love a touch of it with something else — like these raspberry chocolate cookies. If you are a purist, these naturally pink cookies are also absolutely divine without the chocolate chips. It’s your call, my friends.
Whatever you decide, I hope you make them, and love every last crumb!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
These delicious cookies are fruity, chocolaty and chewy, with a slight crunch. The juice form fresh raspberries, instead of food coloring, makes these naturally pink cookies —which is fun for the holiday or any day!
*Please note that 1 hour of the prep time is inactive, refrigeration time.
*Makes about 2 dozen small cookies
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temparature
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- about 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Add the raspberries to a small bowl and use the back of a teaspoon to mash them into a purée. Set aside.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the butter with the powdered sugar. Mix for about a minute or so, until it's a bit lighter and very smooth. (Using an electric mixer for this is easiest.)
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Add in the raspberry purée, almond meal, vanilla, and salt. Mix until smooth.
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Fold in the flour and mix only until it's evenly incorporated.
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Shape the batter into approximately tablespoon-sized balls. (If you have a 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop, it’s the perfect size.) For a smoother surface, you can gently roll each one between the palms of your hands. Place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet as you go, with about 1 1/2 or so inches between them. (You might need a second sheet, but it’s not likely - they barely spread when they bake.) At this point, gently and lightly press about 5 chocolate chips onto each cookie. (If you want to keep them purely raspberry, you can skip this.)
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Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the batter is firm, about 1 hour. (It’s okay if it’s longer — up to overnight is fine.)
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Preheat the oven to 350° F.
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Remove the the baking sheet from the refrigerator and bake in the preheated 350° F oven until bottoms are slightly golden and the cookies are solid, about 12 minutes.
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Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 15 minutes.
Wow I did not get to make these for Valentine’s Day, I’m sure you won’t mind if I make them for St. Patrick’s Day! We are having a “pink and green” party in our neighborhood, and I think this would be perfect!
How fun is a pink and green party!? I love it! Hope you enjoy the cookies — and the party! 🙂
Not only do I love the pink color the berries give these Valentine’s Day Raspberry Chocolate Cookies, but the flavor is strong.
🙂 Yay!