Description
Delight in these rich and fudgy Chocolate Cherry Cookies featuring a homemade cherry pie filling nestled in soft cocoa cookies. Perfectly balanced with the tartness of cherries and the deep flavor of cocoa, these cookies are an indulgent treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cherry Pie Filling
- 1 lb cherries, pitted, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 TBSP water
Chocolate Cookies
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed light or dark
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Cane sugar or regular white granulated sugar for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- Prepare Cherry Filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine pitted cherries, 1/2 cup white granulated sugar, cornstarch, and water. Stir frequently until cherries break down and soften, and the sauce thickens. Mash some cherries gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs until thoroughly combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough rest as the oven heats.
- Scoop and Roll Dough: Using a large 3 TBSP cookie scoop, scoop dough balls. Roll each ball in cane sugar or white sugar to coat evenly.
- Form Cookie Indentations: Place six cookie dough balls per sheet. Using a 1/8 cup measuring cup or the back of a spice jar, press a hole into the center of each dough ball gently.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes until set.
- Repress and Cool: Immediately after baking, press the indentations again to maintain the shape while hot. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Add Cherry Filling: Once cooled, scoop about 1/8 cup of the chilled cherry filling onto the center indentation of each cookie.
Notes
- Spoon and level flour or use a kitchen scale to prevent compacted flour, which can alter cookie texture and spread.
- For high altitude baking, add an additional 2 TBSP of flour to the dry ingredients.
- Allow dairy ingredients like butter and eggs to come to room temperature (about 2 hours outside the fridge) before baking for better mixing.
