Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe delivers fudgy, brownie-like cookies with tart cherry pops and melty chocolate in every bite. Bakers who crave bakery-style chewy cookies with bold cherry flavor can finish a batch in about 45 minutes. I first baked these for a neighborhood game night and had to hide two for breakfast insurance.

Why You Should Try This Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe lands the perfect balance of deep cocoa, bright cherry zing, and gooey chocolate chips. The edges bake crisp while the centers stay soft and chewy, so every bite feels like a win.

You can use dried tart cherries or maraschino cherries, which keeps shopping simple. The dough chills quickly, the cookies bake fast, and the flavor tastes like a fancy bakery order without the price tag.

Fudgy centers, crisp edges, and bright cherry pops in every bite made my friends go silent at the table ★★★★★

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp (113 g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (110 g)
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (150 g)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process for deeper flavor or natural for a lighter profile (30 g; brands I like: Valrhona, Guittard, or Hershey’s Natural)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional but boosts chocolate
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, optional for extra soft chew
• 3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries (about 110 g; Montmorency works great)
  • Pantry shortcut: swap in 3/4 cup well-drained, patted dry, chopped maraschino cherries if that’s what you have. Blot them very dry.
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (130 g; Ghirardelli or Guittard melt nicely)
• Optional flavor boosts: 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Equipment

• 2 rimmed half-sheet pans
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Mixing bowls, whisk, and rubber spatula
• Cookie scoop, about 1.5 tablespoons (#40)
• Wire cooling rack
• Paper towels for blotting cherries

How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes

1. Heat the oven to 350°F 177°C and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Chop the cherries. If you use maraschino cherries, drain and blot them very dry, then chop.
3. Measure the ingredients so you can move fast once the butter and sugars look fluffy.

Make the dough: 10 minutes

1. Beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Mix in the egg, vanilla, espresso powder, and optional cherry juice or almond extract.
3. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch in a separate bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer on low speed and mix until a few flour streaks remain. Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips until the dough looks uniform.

Chill: 20 to 30 minutes

1. Chill the bowl of dough for 20 to 30 minutes. This quick chill firms the butter and keeps the cookies thick.
2. If you plan to bake in batches, scoop the dough onto a small tray and chill the scoops so they hold their shape.

Bake: 9 to 11 minutes

1. Scoop 1.5-tablespoon mounds and space them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Press a few extra chips or cherry bits on top if you want a bakery look.
2. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges set and the centers still look soft and slightly puffy.

Cool and finish: 15 minutes

1. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
2. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt on warm cookies if you like a sweet-salty finish.
3. Pour a glass of milk, take a cookie, and call it quality control.

Tips & Tricks

• Weigh the flour and cocoa for consistent texture.
• Dry maraschino cherries very well so the dough stays tight and the color doesn’t bleed.
• Chop cherries into raisin-size bits so they spread evenly and don’t cause gaps.
• Use Dutch-process cocoa for a darker, richer cookie or natural cocoa for a classic profile.
• Pull the cookies when centers look slightly underbaked; carryover heat finishes the job.
• Bake one test cookie to check spread, then adjust chill time by 5 minutes if needed.
• Keep dough cold between batches for taller cookies with chewier centers.
• Swap chocolate chips for chopped bar chocolate if you want bigger pools.
• Freeze portioned dough balls and bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the time.

What to Serve with Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe

I love these with cold milk, hot coffee, or a strong black tea that can stand up to the cocoa. Scoop vanilla or cherry ice cream next to a warm cookie for dessert that feels restaurant-level at home. You can also plate them with a drizzle of melted chocolate and a few extra cherries for a party tray. If you sip wine, pour a fruity pinot noir or a ruby port and enjoy how the cherry notes link up with the chocolate.

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temp for 3 to 4 days.
• Refrigerate dough for up to 3 days; scoop before chilling for easy portioning.
• Freeze dough balls on a sheet until firm, then bag them for up to 2 months; bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes.
• Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months; thaw at room temp.
• Reheat a cookie in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds for gooey chips, or warm on a baking sheet at 300°F for 3 to 5 minutes to refresh the edges.

Ally Sanders

Chocolate Cherry Cookies Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Cookies deliver fudgy, brownie-like cookies with tart cherry pops and melty chocolate in every bite. Chewy, bakery-style cookies with bold cherry flavor ready in about 45 minutes.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 24

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries or well-drained, patted-dry chopped maraschino cherries
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

 

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Chop the cherries. If using maraschino cherries, drain them well and blot very dry with paper towels before chopping.
3. Measure all remaining ingredients so they are ready to use once the butter and sugars are creamed.

1. In a mixing bowl using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and, if using, maraschino cherry juice or almond extract until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, and cornstarch until evenly combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in the chopped cherries and chocolate chips or chunks until the dough looks uniform.

1. Chill the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to firm the butter and help the cookies bake thick and chewy.
2. If baking in batches, you can scoop the dough into mounds on a small tray and chill the scoops so they hold their shape.

1. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place the mounds 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. For a bakery-style look, press a few extra chocolate chips or cherry pieces on top of each mound.
2. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges look set and the centers are still soft and slightly puffy.

1. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
2. If desired, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt on the warm cookies for a sweet-salty finish.
3. Serve with cold milk, coffee, or tea, or pair warm cookies with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes

Nutrition Information
Approximate per cookie (1 of 24): 150 calories; fat 7 g; saturated fat 4 g; carbohydrates 21 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 14 g; protein 2 g; sodium 80 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredients, brands, and cookie size.

Make-Ahead and Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days, preferably after scooping for easier baking. Freeze portioned dough balls on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a bag and freeze for up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed at room temperature. Rewarm briefly in the microwave or in a 300°F (150°C) oven to refresh the texture.