Description
Chocolate cherry cookies blend rich cocoa with sweet cherries in a delightful dessert. Sophisticated flavors and textures make these cookies irresistible for home bakers seeking a gourmet treat you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Base:
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (40 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients and Sweeteners:
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Flavor and Filling Ingredients:
- 5 ounces (141 g) Endangered Species Chocolate Vibrant Cherries + Dark Chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (85 g) cherry preserves
Instructions
- Sift cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl, ensuring a smooth, lump-free dry mixture. Set aside for later use.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter with brown and white sugars at high speed until the mixture becomes light, airy, and pale in color, approximately 3 minutes.
- Incorporate egg yolks and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending on medium speed until the consistency becomes smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain cookie tenderness.
- Portion dough into 32 equal rounds, rolling each into a smooth ball. Create a gentle indentation in the center of each cookie using the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon.
- Refrigerate cookie dough for 1 hour to enhance flavor development and prevent spreading during baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange chilled cookies on a lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges appear slightly crisp. Immediately upon removal, re-press centers to maintain the indentation.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Prepare ganache by pouring hot cream over finely chopped chocolate, stirring until completely smooth and glossy.
- Fold cherry preserves into the ganache, creating a rich, fruity filling.
- Carefully fill each cookie’s center with approximately 1 teaspoon of cherry chocolate ganache.
- Chill cookies for 10-15 minutes to set the ganache and enhance flavor melding.
Notes
- Chill dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and maintain cookie shape during baking.
- Use high-quality cocoa powder for rich, deep chocolate flavor that complements cherry ganache.
- For gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with almond or gluten-free blend, ensuring texture remains tender.
- Room temperature ingredients blend more smoothly, creating a more consistent cookie dough with better overall texture.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg