No, Darker Than Chocolate

 Even the arrival of a mummified onyx space chili might have gone unnoticed, it was a very dark night.

But when it struck the tiny pyramid, it hit so hard that many of the casing stones were crushed and scattered. A roaring cloud of red dust and sparkling onyx splinters blasted through every tiny space in the rapidly collapsing temple. Many of the ant mummies were thrown from their sarcophagi into the spicy, sparkly darkness. Suddenly awakened and covered with sparkling chili powder, there was no time to wonder how. Those who could fell back from the rapidly advancing  wall of fire.

 Clutching their hastily improvised torches they plunged deeper into the catacombs leaning into the cold wind rushing up and back toward the flames.  With their torches held low against the wind, the fortunate few passed beneath the ring wall and into the long abandoned, limestone labyrinth below.     

Chocolate cherry molasses spice cookie is a lot of name for such small cookies. Like a lot of my favorite recipes, this is a variation on a King Arthur Flour recipe. Unlike the Spiced Chocolate Molasses Buttons they resemble somewhat, this cookie  has no butter and some of the flour is replaced by baked, ground, pumpkin seeds.

Since it's just about my favorite, I've made this cookie a lot. Three kinds of chocolate and tart Monterrey cherries are a great compliment to the somewhat loud spice profile. Sometimes I've used the allspice listed in the King Arthur recipe instead of the ground cloves listed in my recipe. I like them both ways.

  The ground, baked pumpkin seed is a bit likely to clump even when whisked. Sifting makes it and the ground cloves separate better. Beat the coconut oil, buttermilk, and vanilla mixture before adding the sugar. Once they're well mixed, add the molasses and egg and mix until smooth. Add the flour/spice mixture and mix well, then finish up with the cherries and chocolate chips.

*Cover and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.

Using a tablespoon scoop distribute the dough balls about 1 1/4 apart. These cookies didn't always slump so I mashed them some.

I liked them best a little soft, and 10 to 12 min @ 350 F worked well in my oven.