Many people (myself included) are hesitant about adding fresh fruit to cookies. While I’ll happily dump heaps of berries or apples into a muffin batter, I’m much more cautious when it comes to cookie dough. And for good reason. A cookie’s delicate balance of fat, sugar, and flour can easily be thrown with the addition of juicy fruit.
But caution doesn’t equal avoidance. With spring in full bloom and summer just around the corner, fresh berries abound in almost every dessert I dream about. When I set out to make cookies on Monday afternoon, I knew exactly what I wanted: a cookie full of organic raspberries and chunks of white chocolate. With a little experimentation, I ended the afternoon with these gems. Soft and chewy, these raspberry cream cookies couldn’t be a better spring or summer treat.
The key to this recipe was to freeze the raspberries before adding them to the cookie dough. They didn’t fall apart (as unfrozen berries certainly would) when I folded them into the batter. I also baked them a lower oven temperature–325 degrees Fahrenheit. You can imagine my delight when I pulled them out of the oven 15 minutes later. The raspberries were bright, the cookies were thick and chewy, and my house smelled faintly of creamy white chocolate.
A huge success during my 36th week of pregnancy!
Cravings: animal crackers with whole milk, ham and cheese sandwiches, banana pancakes (yet again), peanut butter and bananas, chips and salsa
Fears: Wow. This has been a harder week for me emotionally. I’m grappling with change. Not only are we expecting our first baby in a few weeks, but I also finished graduate school this May. For the past several years, I’ve lived a busy and achievement-focused life. I worked hard in school, I obtained a wonderful internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs, I published several short stories, and I gained the admiration of several respected professors and peers. And now, I’m going to be a mother. And now, I’m going to stop all the busyness, all the activity, and take care of our precious little girl. I’m happy I have the opportunity to do this–to stay at home and be a mom–but I’m also terrified. My self-worth is tied to many things and I’d be lying if I said achievement wasn’t one of them. I’m trying to process these complicated emotions now but I know it will be a process. Motherhood is a beautiful thing, but it’s also about sacrifice.
Exercise: Yep. Margot and I are still walking. I’m doing a variety of yoga poses at home (but I haven’t had the chance to go to an actual prenatal yoga class yet). I’m doing wall push-ups in hopes that my long and thin arms will beef up just a little bit before baby comes.
Health: We’re now meeting with our OB every week. So far, both baby and I are doing really well. Low blood pressure, ideal weight gain, and no signs of early labor. I do have braxton-hixes throughout the day, but they’re manageable.
Ryan: Sweet man woke up this morning to find me in a bad mood. So what did he do? He changed our sheets, folded the laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and told me, “Everything is going to be okay.” Ryan is such a comfort to me. He held his 2-week old cousin on Saturday and nearly started to cry. He can’t wait to meet his daughter.
Check back here on Friday as I’ll be sharing my maternity photographs. I can’t wait for you to see them! Sneak peek below!
Raspberry Cream Cookies
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and melted butter (about 2 minutes). Add eggs and stir until combined. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until a cookie dough begins to form. Fold in frozen raspberries and white chocolate. Allow batter to chill for 15-30 minutes in freezer.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove batter from freezer and firm into large, 2-3 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Arrange on prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes (cookies should look slightly undercooked). Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets before removing (and enjoying!)