If you love the combination of deep, dark chocolate and tart-sweet cherries, you’re gonna lose it for these dark chocolate cherry cookies.
There’s something undeniably perfect about dark chocolate and cherries together – combined, they’re both sweet and tart and rich and creamy. These dark chocolate cherry cookies were inspired by a truly incredible bar of chocolate that my friend Jackie, a chocolatier in Australia, brought back to share with our college buddies. The bar used cacao beans from Bolivia that had a natural cherry and stewed fruit flavor. The flavor came through so strongly in the bar it blew my mind.
As a chocolate lover, I truly had never tasted chocolate that good. So I set to emulate that jaw-dropping experience in cookie form with these dark chocolate cherry cookies. And I gotta say, they are delivering.
These dark chocolate cherry cookies have pools of the best chocolate you can find (a bougie artisan bar, or a nice bar of Lindt). We finely chop plump dried cherries so you get cherry flavor in each bite without the chewiness of larger pieces. We also use 2/3 cup rye flour (optional but highly recommended) to add a subtle nuttiness that enhances the deep, bitter notes of the dark chocolate and the tartness of the cherries.
This post is all about delightfully fruity dark chocolate cherry cookies.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Why you’ll love these cookies
- They’re a great recipe for Valentine’s Day
- Cherry is VERY in right now (was it ever out??)
- These cookies are basically a chocolate chip cookie, but with cherries. A cherry chocolate chip cookie. So they feel nostalgic and new at the same time – I find those are the kind of desserts friends lose their MINDS over.
- As we’ve already discussed, the flavor combination of chocolate and cherry is insane. Tart, juicy cherries and creamy, rich, bitter dark chocolate? I mean, come on. Plus the rye flour adds a nuttiness that enhances both the cherry and dark chocolate flavors. These are just the best cookies and a chocolate lovers dream.
- You can get creative! Want to press in maraschino cherries or pitted fresh cherries in the center of each cookie after they bake? Go for it.
Ingredients
This is what to grab at the grocery store:
- Three bars of quality dark chocolate: You’ll need 12 ounces, which is usually three bars. If you like less chocolate in your chocolate chip cookies (which these effectively are), feel free to drop to 2 bars. Using a good chocolate bar (cue my Ina Garten voice) is a key for these cookies – splurge for an artisanal bar, or Lindt, 75%-85% cacao.
- 8 ounces dried cherries: 8 ounces is typically 2-3 bags.
- All-purpose flour: I love King Arthur Flour and used it in this recipe, but any flour will work.
- Rye flour: You can opt for any type of rye flour here. The rye flour adds a great nuttiness and depth of flavor, but if you don’t have it, you can use more all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Fine kosher or sea salt
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar: Brown sugar has molasses in it, which gives these cookies more depth of flavor and moisture and keeps them soft the next day
- 2 eggs
- Vanilla extract: opt for real, not imitation
- Flaky sea salt: Flaky sea salt is a must for any chocolate chip cookie (which these effectively are). It makes the cherries and chocolate taste even more rich and intense, and brings out the slightly bitter notes in the dark chocolate. I love Maldon, which you can get on Amazon.
How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cookies
This is a high-level overview. Please read the recipe card below for full instructions 🙂You don’t need an electric mixer or stand mixer!
1. Mix together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until fully combined, then mix in the eggs and vanilla followed by the finely chopped dried cherries.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, adding two-thirds of the chopped chocolate chunks when there are only a few streaks of flour left.
4. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough into balls on a parchment paper lined, rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, and at most 48 hours.
5. Bake at 350°F until the edges are set and the cookies look a little underbaked, but not raw. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Use high-quality dark chocolate. These cookies rely so much on chocolate. The better the chocolate, the better your cookies will be.
- Properly measure your flour: too much flour can make the cookies too puffy, and too little will make them spread thin.
- Measure by weight: I always use a kitchen scale to measure my ingredients and include the measurements in grams in the recipe so you can, too. You can get a pretty cheap scale on Amazon (I used a $12 scale for years and now use a $28 KitchenAid scale).
- Measure by volume: If you’re using a cup measure instead of a scale, first fluff the flour in its bag, then use a spoon to place it into your measuring cup. Level the flour off by scraping the flat edge of a knife across the top of the cup measure.
- Chop the dried cherries finely. This ensures even distribution so that you get cherry flavor in each bite and no big chewy pieces.
- Use a cookie scoop to get evenly sized, easy-to-scoop cookies: For this recipe we use a 2-tablespoon scoop. I love this trio of scoops from Amazon that has 1, 2 and 3 tablespoon scoops.
- Chill the dough. This lets the butter work into all the other ingredients, bringing out more flavor. It also prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you take them out—they’ll continue to set as they cool.
- Right when the cookies come out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter or deli container to nudge them into a circle. This will make them look straight from a bakery! Rye flour also can cause cookies to spread, so I nudge extra to make the cookies a little thicker, but that’s personal preference.
FAQs
Fresh cherries and maraschino cherries have too much moisture and will alter the texture of the cookies. However, you can place one cherry on top of the cookies when they come out of the oven – that’d be gorg!!
Opt for a bar (not chips) with at least 70% cacao dark chocolate. It’s great to support a local or artisan brand. Valrhona, Guittard and Lindt also work well.
Absolutely! After the dough has been scooped and chilled, transfer the dough balls to a a freezer-safe bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra two minutes to the baking time.
No, but it adds a lovely depth of flavor. You can stick with all-purpose flour if you prefer – I have instructions for both below.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or the fridge for 5 days.
More recipes!!
- So ya love fruit and chocolate?? Try stuffed raspberry dark chocolate cookies or a single-serve raspberry filled brownie skillet.
- If breakfast is up next, go for dirty chai cinnamon rolls, sweet potato superhero muffins or the best vegan banana bread.
- If you want to try some of my most out-of-the-box desserts, try almond frangipane blondies, tahini cornflake crunch brownies, or maple miso brown butter blondies.
If you make these cookies, please leave a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @loaves.and.such!
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
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hoursSweet, tart cherries and rich, creamy dark chocolate? Sign me up. These dark chocolate cherry cookies are a cherry and chocolate lover’s dream. I hope you love them as much as I do!!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (83 grams) rye flour (or sub in scant 2/3 cup all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cup (320 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 TBS. vanilla extract
8 ounces dried cherries, finely chopped
12 ounces quality dark chocolate bar (75-85%), chopped
Flaky sea salt to top
Directions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until there’s no separation. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, followed by almost all of the finely chopped dried cherries – reserve a small handful of the cherries to sprinkle on top after the cookies bake.
- Switch to a spatula and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. When there’s only a few streaks of flour left, add two-thirds of the chopped chocolate, saving the larger pieces to press onto the cookies before they bake.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and use a cookie scoop to add two-tablespoon scoops of dough. Press a large piece of chocolate on top of each ball of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
- When the dough is almost done chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Space the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the top looks soft but not raw. The cookies should still feel a little underbaked – they’ll continue baking as they cool.
NOTE: if you scoop smaller or larger cookies, adjust the baking time as needed! - When the cookies come out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter or deli container to nudge the cookies into circles. Rye flour can spread a bit more, so I like to nudge the cookies in so they’re a little thicker – but that’s personal preference.
Press the rest of the finely chopped dried cherries on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool for 10 minutes, and enjoy!
Store at room temperature for 2 days, or the fridge for 5 days.
