I usually make these cookies around the holidays, but as the years go on I’m learning that they’re actually a terrific year-round chocolate cookie! By far they are my most requested cookie to make because of their fudgy-chocolately-cherry deliciousness : ) Zan is obsessed. One of his friends/co-workers, TJ, surprised us with a jar of real maraschino cherries… not the artificial, red-dyed ones sold at the grocery store, but the REAL ones. These are made in Italy and are the original maraschino cherries. Honestly, there is no comparison to the bright red ones. They’re rich in taste and texture and aren’t filled with artificial flavors or dyes. They have the perfect crunch sound to them when you take a bite and yummy cherry juice spills out. When he gave us the cherries, he told me that they would take these cookies to another level of goodness…. he was right! Real maraschino cherries are the secret ingredient to making these cookies stand out from the rest. Read more for the recipe…
Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 jar of Luxardo maraschino cherries, undrained
Chocolate Coating
- 1/2 cup sweetened-condensed milk
- 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
- 4 tablespoons of the reserved cherry juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar and baking soda, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat in egg and vanilla and gradually add in the flour.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart. Press down in the center of each ball with your thumb and add a cherry in the middle.
- For the frosting, add the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips into a saucepan. When the chocolate is melted, add the cherry juice. Stir constantly so the milk and chocolate won’t burn.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of the chocolate sauce on top of the cherry and spread to cover the cherry only. Bake for 7-9 minutes.
My mom makes these for Christmas every year. Definitely one of my favorites!
Tell her to use the real cherries and you will be blown away!!
Yum! Definitely don’t confine these to only the holidays! They look delicious.
Never knew the red Maraschino cherries we grew up with aren’t “the real thing”! Would love to try the ones from Italy…and in your decadent-looking cookies!
Haha!! I know right?? It’s like discovering gold! Never again will I use those!
Fabulous, Eden!!! These look so good. Can’t wait to try them with the real deal 🙂
Thanks Rebecca!! XO
wow. yum!!!
Looks delicious! I love the combination of chocolate and cherries so I reckon this would taste great.
Yes!! So good! You will have to try them out 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
These were so good!
I feel the juiciness of cherry and the quick crunch of the cookie in my mouth and hoping to bake this on my weekends for tea time.
I made cookies every festival. Especially for Christmas. I and my kids are love chocolate cherry cookies very much.
It is one of the favorite foods of us.
Usually I make cookies for kids. But this is quite new for me. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try this in the weekend. My little ones will love this.
I also like to try this recipe. I think my kids are interesting this. Because they are very like to eat chocolate favor foods.
I am definitely trying this recipe this weekend. I think it is be a tasty food. That is collection of chocolate and cherry. Wow yummy.
Wow yummy chocolate flavor recipe. I want to make it and eat as soon as. Because try to made it at today.
Yes this is look and taste also great. I made it today. Because am in the home today. My kids are like for this. They ate lot of cookies and they said make more cookies in next day. Thank you friend.
Yummy. It is looks tasty. I like to make it after my salary got.