260 gm softened butter 220 gm (1 cup) caster sugar 150 gm brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tspn vanilla paste 300 gm (2 cups) plain flour 100 gm cocoa 1 tspn bicarb soda 1/2 tspn salt 40 gm dark chocolate 175 gm (1 cup) dried sour cherries
Preheat oven to 180°C. Chop chocolate roughly. Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb soda and salt. Line baking trays with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugars in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs and vanilla, and beat well to combine. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, then stir in the chocolate pieces and cherries.
Roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into rough balls, flatten slightly, and place onto lined trays. leaving plenty of room for them to spread. Bake until puffed and starting to set (about 8-9 minutes).
Cool slightly on the trays, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely - they will flatten out more when cool.
These biscuits can be sandwiched together using chocolate ganache.
100 ml pouring cream 25 ml crème de cacao 250 gm dark chocolate, finely chopped
In a small saucepan bring cream and crème de cacao to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and let it stand for one minute for the chocolate to start to melt. Stir the mixture until smooth, then cool until thick and spreadable (1-2 hours in the fridge).
You can use this to sandwich pairs of cookies together. Let stand until the filling is set.