Fudgy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
These deep, dark, and chocolatey cookies feature a perfect hint of sweet and slightly tart cherry. They are surprisingly easy and quick to whip up, making them perfect for a weeknight craving or sharing.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Electric mixer Optional, but helpful
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- toothpick Optional, for swirling preserves
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 0.25 cup granulated white sugar
- 0.75 cup light packed brown sugar packed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.375 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 5 oz chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark) or chopped bar chunks
- 0.25 cup cherry preserves good quality with pieces
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the softened unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Beat in the two egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and the heavy cream until everything is just combined. Don't overmix at this stage.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed (or stirring by hand) until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as you see no dry streaks of flour. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies!
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips or chunks using a spatula. Make sure they're evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze!
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Place a small dollop (about 1/2 teaspoon) of cherry preserves on top of each cookie dough ball. You can gently swirl it in with a toothpick if you like, or just leave it as a dollop.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft but not wet. They might look a little underdone in the middle, but that's exactly what you want for that perfect fudgy texture! Be careful not to overbake.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set up properly.
- Enjoy your warm, fudgy, chocolatey, cherry-filled delights!
Notes
Tips for Success: Ensure butter is truly softened, not melted. Spoon and level flour correctly. Avoid overmixing once dry ingredients are added. For fudgy texture, slightly underbake. Chilling dough for 30-60 minutes can improve results.
Storage: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Can stack with parchment paper. Raw dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze dough balls, scoop onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to baking time.
Storage: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Can stack with parchment paper. Raw dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze dough balls, scoop onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to baking time.