A handful of blueberries and a handful of chocolate chips infuse classic cookie dough with delicious flavor and vibrant natural color for a fun and tasty treat. Not only do these blueberry chocolate cookies taste delicious, but the texture is so soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, while the lovely purple/blue hue is a treat to the eyes. Because frozen blueberries work great in this recipe, you can enjoy these cookies any time of year. And who doesn’t need a burst of color on a cold February day?
I am so thankful that a friend of ours brought back a car full of freshly picked blueberries from South Haven last summer. After eating our fill of the fresh ones that day, we promptly froze most of the little blue gems and now can pull a handful out of the freezer whenever we need an infusion of fruity flavor and the health benefits that come along with it.
Instead of stirring whole blueberries into the batter, as you do in blueberry muffin recipes, this recipe calls for simmering the berries gently on low heat until they are soft and jammy, then mixing them in with the cookie batter. I adapted this recipe from one I found on the Feel Good Foodie, though I used semi-sweet chocolate chips rather than white chocolate since I love the flavor. Aside from a couple other minor changes, I stuck closely to her recipe. There are several similar recipes out there for blueberry cookies, but these are the proportions that worked best for me.
It is surprising how easily and quickly these cookies come together. There are not many ingredients needed to create a pleasing flavor, texture, and color, in just about 30 minutes. And although it takes some forethought, allowing the butter to come to room temperature before mixing is optimal for creating a smooth, creamy batter and soft, fluffy cookies.
If you’re looking for subtle, delicious fruity flavor and a not-so-subtle naturally beautiful color, blueberry chocolate cookies are a great option!
Overall, it has been a cold, snowy winter. We recently had a few days of warm weather that melted all of our snow. Now the cold weather is back, as we knew it would be! But I can sense that the light is getting brighter and the daylight hours are lengthening, ever so slightly, every day.
I encountered a woman at my place of employment recently who told me winter is her favorite season and that she finds it beautiful because it is so clean and spare. I found this inspiring and refreshing. It can definitely be a challenging time of year but the spareness can be a source of stillness and peace. And if you are struggling with the winter blues, these blueberry chocolate cookies can take the ‘blue’ in a joyful direction. Wishing you all a great weekend!
Blueberry Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash the frozen blueberries (if they have not yet been washed). Then place the frozen blueberries in a small saucepan and heat over low heat. Cook and gently stir over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the blueberries break down into a jammy texture. Gently mash the blueberries with a fork to make them even more jammy. Remove the blueberries from the heat and allow them to cool.
In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a fork until all combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter and the sugar. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar together on low to medium-low speed until creamy and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the cooled blueberry jam and mix, on medium speed, until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix until just combined and no flour streaks or pockets remain. Take care not to over-mix at this point. Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them into the batter. Again, take care not to over-mix.
Use a spoon to shape the cookie dough into 16 balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press the dough balls down a bit to lightly flatten each ball.
Bake in your preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden and just starting to set.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for a few more minutes. Enjoy!
I love the idea of taking blue in a “joyful direction!”
Hi Karen, thank you, me too!