Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies

Left with some pomegranate seeds after I made Bobby Flay's roasted Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and vanilla-pecan butter (yes, that is a real dish and the recipe can be found here) I hunted down an appealing-sounding recipe to use up the remainder. I was hoping to restrain myself from baking for at least another week since we're still working our way through leftover Christmas desserts but I wasn't about to let such a precious commodity go bad.

After a quick poke around The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen I settled on some chocolate cookies with chocolate chips and pomegranate seeds baked right in. The flavor combination seemed sensible enough that it wouldn't alienate any of my taste testers but adventurous enough to raise it above your standard drop cookie.

The recipe's simple, quick to whip up, and after setting in the fridge for a few hours bakes into delicious chocolate-y cookies with a surprising burst of fruit flavor from the pomegranate arils and an equally surprising crunch from the seed at the center. I plan to take these to work tomorrow since that's the only way I can think to stop myself from eating the entire batch!

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 cup chocolate chips (I used chunks)
3/4 cups pomegranate arils

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, then pomegranate juice and mix until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips and arils. Refrigerate dough for 2-4 hours (or more). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F, roll into balls and set on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350F for 8-12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.