It just wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without some scrumptious sweet treats! And it would appear that we are still in a Valentine’s Day cookie craze. Last year, we made a batch of delicious M&M Chocolate Chip Valentine’s Cookies. This year…we’ve decided to take our chocolate game up another notch, to create these truly decadent Triple Chocolate Valentine’s Cookies!
I stumbled upon this Big Chocolate M&M Valentine’s Day Cookie recipe, over on The Salty Marshmallow…after we had already gobbled up our Valentine’s cookies last year. And although I was tempted to go ahead and make a batch of these cookies too – I decided it would be better to save them for this year’s holiday celebration. Needless to say, they were worth the wait! In our house, we go by the motto: There is no such thing as too much chocolate. π And boy do these cookies deliver. From the chocolate cookie base…to the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips…to the slight crunch of the chocolate M&M’s – these cookies are heavenly!
I must admit that I was a bit thrown off by one ingredient (when I first read through Nichole’s recipe) – almond extract. I almost omitted it, but I’m so glad that I decided to try it, because it added that extra special touch, and seemed to heighten all of the other delicious chocolate flavors. That being said, if you happen to be allergic, or you simply do not care for the taste of almonds, you can most certainly omit it from the recipe and still end up with a batch of the most delectable Valentine’s Day cookies!
Feel free to follow the above link, to find Nichole’s original post, or keep scrolling to find the recipe below. Please note: The following recipe belongs to Nichole (at The Salty Marshmallow), and is by no means my own personal recipeβ¦though it is one that now resides in my book of favorites!
Triple Chocolate Valentine’s Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks), at room temperature
- 1-1/4 Cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2-1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Valentine-Colored Milk Chocolate M&M’s
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350Β° F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the unsweetened cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-speed (scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary) until light and fluffy – approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Turn the mixer down to a lower speed and add the eggs, one at a time (scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary). Next, add the almond extract.
- With the mixer turned to the lowest speed, gradually add the dry ingredients (scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary). Mix just until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, as well as 1/2 cup of the M&M’s.
- Divide the cookie dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten it a bit with the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining 11 dough balls.
- Top the flattened dough balls with the remaining 1/2 cup of M&M’s.
- Bake for 13-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet(s) for approximately 10 minutes, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
*Note: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
These Tripe Chocolate Valentine’s Cookies also happen to be a perfect recipe for my mini chef to make! She absolutely loves measuring ingredients and watching them come together in the bowl of our stand mixer. But I think her favorite part was the fact that she got to roll the cookie dough in her hands, squish it onto the baking sheet, and then add even more M&M’s to the top…in whatever colors and patterns she so desired.
Well…there may have been one other thing that topped her list of favorites that day – taste-testing these giant cookies when they were fresh from the oven! I think taste-testing might be the one special perk that keeps her coming back to the kitchen to help me bake goodies…or assist her daddy with dinner preparations. π
If you’re looking for some other kid-friendly Valentine’s Day recipes, make sure to check out our Strawberry & Cream Cheese Pastry Hearts, as well as our Baked Valentine’s Day Donuts!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!Β Β
