Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chinese New Year is less than two weeks away and everyone seems to be in a baking frenzy. Everywhere I look it is cookies, cookies and more cookies. And here I am collecting everybody's recipe and so far no action taken. To top that off, I have never baked a cookie my whole life. My baking adventure started only last year and so far its been cakes, muffins and nothing else.

Besides the recipes I collected from my blogger friends, I also thumbed through my cookbooks. The first one being Agnes Chang's Baking Made Easy. And I couldn't make up my mind which cookie to bake. As I was tidying up my bookshelf, I stumbled upon Shahriah Abdullah's cookbook, Sajian Istimewa. I have been wanting to try Shahriah's recipes and as usual, I had earlier flipped and admired the pictures instead.

As I sat down to check Shahriah's book, the page on Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies (Biskut Red Velvet Coklat Cip) fell open. The die was cast. This is going to be my first ever cookie. And a red velvet one at that. Boy, was I motivated! On Saturday I went shopping for nuts and that evening I roasted some almonds and hazelnuts.

I love Shahriah's cookies and as you can see from the recipe below, these cookies are crammed with lots of chocolate chips, almonds and raisins. Being a cookies newbie, I had my anxieties and apprehensions. The first time I made these cookies, I was very diligent. I rolled the cookie dough into balls and I baked them for 20 minutes. Later I realized that the cookie was crisp all the way through and I wanted something crispy on the outside but softer on the inside. So I baked the last batch for 15 minutes only. The cookies were soft when they first came out of the oven and firmed up when cooled. And the texture was just right. Crispy on the outside and crumbly on the inside.

Finally PH does dainty :)

The second time I attempted these cookies, I followed Shahriah's instruction to just use a teaspoon to drop the cookie dough onto the baking tray. It was a lot easier and I like the funky uneven shapes.

Not so dainty, more my style!

My only difficulty when preparing the cookie dough was mixing it. The batter is quiet dense and took quite a bit of arm work to fold in the flour. But it was worth it. The cookies are really yummy as they contain lots of chocolate chips, nuts and dried fruit. I used dried mixed berries in my first attempt and dried cranberries in my second attempt (the one you are seeing here). Red food coloring is added to give these cookies a reddish tinge. And one more thing, chopping the nuts were a real chore. Drove me nuts!

I am reproducing Shahriah's recipe below with my modifications in red. I was very pleased with the cookies. The sweetness was just right. I omitted the castor sugar as the chocolate chips are already sweet.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe source : Sajian Istimewa Shahriah Abdullah (page 140)

Ingredients :
- 200g butter (I put the whole 250g pack in)
- 100g brown sugar (I used muscavado sugar)
- 50g castor sugar (I omitted)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 250g flour (I used self raising flour)
- 1 tablespoon milk powder (I omitted)
- 20g cocoa powder
- Salt to taste (I put 1/4 teaspoon)
- 200g chocolate chips
- 200g chopped almonds (I used 100g almonds and 100g hazelnuts)
- 100g raisins (I used dried cranberries)
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring

Method :
1. Sift flour, milk powder and cocoa powder. Mix well and set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add red coloring, chocolate chips, raisins and almonds. Mix evenly.
4. Add sifted ingredients and mix until mixture forms a dough.
5. Spoon cookie batter onto baking trays lined with baking paper.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 170C for 15-20 minutes (I baked at 160C for 15 minutes for a crispy exterior and softer  interior. For a crispy all the way cookie, I baked for 20 minutes)

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.