Description
Delight in these rich, chocolate cherry cookies featuring a tender cocoa dough and a luscious cherry pie filling at their center. Perfect for chocolate lovers who appreciate a burst of fruity sweetness, these cookies combine a classic cookie base with a homemade cherry topping baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
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
Cherry Pie Filling:
- 1 lb Cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
- 1/2 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch
- 1 TBSP Water
Instructions
- Prepare Cherry Filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the pitted cherries, 1/2 cup white granulated sugar, cornstarch, and water. Stir gently as the cherries break down and soften, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. Mash a few cherries with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk melted and cooled unsalted butter with brown sugar, white granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, and room-temperature eggs until fully combined.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixtures, folding gently with a rubber spatula until just combined, careful not to overmix.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Let the dough rest while the oven heats.
- Scoop and Roll Cookies: Using a large (3 tbsp) cookie scoop, portion dough balls. Roll each ball in cane sugar or white granulated sugar to coat evenly.
- Shape and Create Indentations: Place six dough balls on each cookie sheet. Using a 1/8 cup measuring cup or the back of a spice jar, press a hole gently into each cookie, creating a well for the filling.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 13-15 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft.
- Refine Indentations and Cool: Immediately after baking, press the 1/8 cup gently into each cookie indentation again to reform the wells. Let the cookies rest on hot pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Add Cherry Filling: Once cooled, scoop approximately 1/8 cup of the cooled cherry filling onto each cookie’s center indentation.
Notes
- Flour measurement: Spoon and level the flour or use a kitchen scale to prevent compacted flour which can lead to dry, dense cookies.
- High altitude baking: Increase flour by 2 tablespoons to adjust for elevation.
- Use room temperature dairy and eggs for better mixing and texture; remove from fridge at least 2 hours before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
