Pomegranate Christmas Cookies

I love Christmas! It is truly a time to count our many blessings and show people how much we care about them. It's a great time to share ideas and new recipes. One new recipe that I am excited about pairs two of my favorite flavors, chocolate and pomegranate. Drop by to sample these yummy Chocolate Chunk Pomegranate Cookies.  First you'll find the recipe for the cookies and some photos of our pomegranate tree, ripe fruit, and of course our precious grandchildren will follow.

The cookie is a fudgey brownie cookie and the brightly colored pomegranate arils make the chunky cookie very festive. I cut up a milk chocolate Hershey bar instead of adding milk chocolate chips.
The recipe is a keeper and we'll make it again. It will be a fun way to share fruit from our garden.

Chocolate Chunk Pomegranate Cookies


1 cup  butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening--you can substitute more butter or coconut shortening because shortening gives cookies a flaky crisp
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

2 cups choc chips or one bag (I used 1/2 semi-sweet chips and cut a large milk chocolate bar into chunks)
1 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

Cream together the butter, shortening, 2 sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Beat the mixture on medium-high for 3 minutes. It will be very creamy.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine with the butter mixture and mix till just blended. 
Add the pomegranate arils and chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough into small balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.   Enjoy!!

It was a good year for our pomegranate tree this year.

This photo was taken in October after I had picked all the fruit that was deemed ripe. 

Last year we got a lot of rain in the fall and most of the fruit rotted before it ripened. After reading about how to tell when to harvest the fruit, I found you look for two things: the tips of the crown turn in, and the circumference becomes square instead of round like an apple.

 It's usually mid October before our fruit is ripe, but we are all watching the fruit 

for at least a month before that if not longer.

This photo of our fruit shows square and round shapes, some with crowns that are turned in and not turned in. Several times we had a threat of frost, so I would harvest the ripe fruit and leave the rest to have a chance to ripen. Thankfully we didn't have a hard frost until all the fruit was ripe.

Our grandchildren are always curious about the tree when they come to visit and typically check on the status of the fruit. We were in the middle of a photo session when Drew spotted some that looked good 

enough to pick.  Don't the kids look sweet in their wedding gear from their

 Uncle Brock's wedding earlier in the summer?

There are some lovely LARGE fruit waaaay up in the tree...........

The fruit within their reach is pretty small and not quite ripe yet, but beautiful to look at nonetheless.

This photo was taken at dusk before I plucked some of the beautiful ripe fruit. 

Our daughter in law, Maggie was served some chocolate ice cream with fresh pomegranate

 sprinkled on it and said it was very delicious. I look forward to trying it! 

 Chocolate and pomegranate pair as well as raspberry and chocolate.

 I'm thankful I discovered the pomegranate double chocolate chip cookie recipe on pinterest last month. It's going to be perfect for my cookie exchange this week.

You'll have to let me know if you make them.