Ritz-dipped Chocolate Heart Cookies

Another day, another chocolate dessert! My friend told me the other day that she’s so glad I’m not sharing healthy, New Year’s resolution-esque recipes this month. Honestly, it never occurred to me to do so (which is probably a problem unto itself), but the truth is:  my resolution is to eat more chocolate. Well, we also have a family resolution to switch to a 15-year mortgage and get our house paid off in record time, Dave Ramsey-style, but I’ll let you guess which resolution I’m devoting more energy towards.

I have frequently inquired of google about the vitamins and minerals in chocolate, usually while I’m in the Trader Joe’s line. Their Dark Chocolate Lover’s Bar cries out for me in the check-out line–you too? But really, there’s plenty of room for chocolate in my diet. I’m one of those totally weird people that makes pretty much everything I eat from scratch (can you smell the bone broth simmering on my stove right now?), so I have room for a few bites of chocolate most days of the week. I’ve completely deluded myself into believing that homemade anything is healthy, even fried food.

In case you’re wondering, chocolate has gobs of vitamin A, loads of B vitamins, and even vitamin C and E. I mean, so does kale, but…you know…it’s k-a-l-e. I rest my case.

Kale-free vitamins, comin’ right up!

I used the same ‘special dark cocoa powder’ as I did in my chocolate marshmallows for these cookies. I bought a box when I was developing recipes for my cookbook, but found that the extra alkalinity in the dark cocoa flubbed up the leavening process in certain desserts. After one too many recipe failures, I threw the box in the back of my pantry and didn’t touch it for months. I found it the other day, and have been using it cautiously in desserts that don’t need to rise. This dessert is the perfect candidate because I don’t want these cookies to rise–I want them flat. Flat, so I can dunk them in more chocolate. Flat, so I can roll them in crushed Ritz crackers. Flat, so I can shove them in my face faster!

You can roll these babies in anything from pretzels, saltine crackers, popcorn, anything! I used crushed Ritz crackers because I like that they’re not only salty, they’re buttery. Chocolate loves butter almost as much as me.

Continue to Content

Yield: 10

Chocolate Cookies with Ritz Crackers

Print

Chocolate heart cookies dipped in crushed ritz crackers for a hit of salty and sweet.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder*
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate dip:

• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (or shortening)
• 10 Ritz crackers, crushed

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until very fluffy, about 45 seconds.
3. Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two increments, beating well. At first, the dough will be very crumbly, but beat it until it comes together in a mass. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as well.
5. On a cocoa-powder dusted surface, roll the dough out to 1/4" thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Re-roll scraps as needed. I got 10 cookies with my 3" heart.
6. Place the cookies on a lined sheet pan, and place in the freezer.
7. Preheat the oven to 350.
8. When the oven is hot, slide the cookies directly from the freezer into the oven. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until fragrant and the tops look dry.
9. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes.
10. Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will be very easy if you let them cool on the baking pan for at least 5 minutes. If you move them immediately, they will fall apart.
11. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 seconds pulses in the microwave. Stir between each pulse. Remove the chocolate from the microwave before the chips melt fully, and stir until smooth. It took me 45 seconds on medium power.
12. Dip each cookie into the chocolate, and then sprinkle on the crushed Ritz crackers. Let the chocolate dry on the cookies before serving.

Notes

*You can substitute regular unsweetened natural cocoa powder.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Ritz Original Crackers
• 
  Quarter Sheet Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram