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Not Your Ordinary Chocolate Cookie
The holidays give us so many opportunities to take plates (or a cake stand) of goodies to parties and family get-togethers. I never want you to fall into the rut of baking the same thing repeatedly. That’s why I’m here to help, giving you my favorite unique recipes that I simply love to bake. Besides, these desserts always seem to impress.
With the wild success of my pecan tassies recipe, I’m happy to present another Christmastime treat: my family’s favorite chocolate-covered cherry cookies! These cookies are not only delectable and mouthwatering but are also so unique that everyone will ask you for the recipe.
This is such a unique cookie, which makes it one of my favorites. Don’t be afraid of the odd ingredient of a maraschino cherry. The flavors come together in a seasonally classic way that you’ll surely love!
I love to take these to cookie swaps and gatherings because no one else will make them, but everyone will want the recipe!
More Christmas Cookies
- Brown butter Snickerdoodle cookies
- Candy bar cookies
- Chocolate waffle cookies
- Make sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder sifted
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 10-oz jar Maraschino cherries
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. The mixture will be light and fluffy and well combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until it is smooth.8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- To the wet ingredients, slowly add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. The dough will be dry and almost crumbly.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, ¼ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda
- Using a cookie scoop, make 1 tablespoon (size 00) balls out of the dough, roll them in sanding or white granulated sugar, and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Drain one 10-ounce jar of Maraschino cherries. Reserve the juice and set it aside for later. Pat cherries until very dry. If cherries are extra-large, cut them in half. Press a cherry into the center of each dough ball. Do not be afraid to press firmly.1 10-oz jar Maraschino cherries
- Place in the preheated 350°F oven and bake until the cookies are set, 10-12 minutes. Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes and then frost while warm.
- While the cookies are baking, heat the heavy cream until it begins to simmer. Once it is simmering, pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Allow the cream to melt the chocolate for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the chocolate is melting, slowly stir the mixture until it is smooth. Once the chocolate is smooth, add 1 tbsp of the reserved cherry juice. Note: As the chocolate cools, it will solidify. To soften, simply warm in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir.¾ cup heavy cream, ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Once the ganache has cooled slightly and thickened, spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of frosting onto the top of each baked warm cookie, covering the cherry. Sprinkle with sugar or decoration, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
I made these today, 12/30. They are soooo good! My family loves chocolate covered cherries so these were a big family hit!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes. I love watching your videos.
I’m new to your channel but whe. I saw this pop up on my YouTube list I knew I had to try it. The cookies are unbelievably good! I also loved seeing you and your mom in the kitcheb together.
I substituted coconut cream into my ganache and it worked perfectly. I also used Amarena cherries. Thank you both for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Make these cookies! They are so decadent. I could not find Luxardo, but used Toschi candied sour Amarena cherries and the flavor was outstanding. Do yourself a favor and find a good cherry. It makes a difference. The cookie itself is wonderful and rich and the cherry and ganache just take it to the next level. Thank you, Kaleb!!
I made these cookies today and OMG! So good. I tried to order the cherries but Amazon was sold out till after the holiday. They are delish with the cheep cherries, and I can not wait to make them with the good ones. I too had some difficulty with the ganache, but the key was just to wait until it thickens on its own. It took about an hour till i was happy with the consistency. Next time I’m gonna make the ganache first then bake the cookies. Thanks for the great recipe and for the tips and tricks.
Kaleb, I made these cookies with Amarena cherries. Oh my gosh, are they delicious! They will now be part of my Christmas baking and any other special occasions.
Where can o purchase those cherries and is it sweetened cocoa
Delicious! Made them with dark Morello sour cherries. Great sweet and tart contrast. However, is there an error in the ganache recipe? Proportions seem off. Mine was very runny, wouldn’t set up even in the fridge. Ended up adding more melted chocolate and mixing in lots of confectioners sugar to thicken. It also makes much more than needed for the cookies but I’ll use the leftover ganache for frosting since it’s so tasty! Your posts always inspire creativity. Thanks Kaleb!
I made the chocolate covered cherry cookies today and they were so good!! I bought the same cherries that Kaleb had in his and they are unbelievably good!! I will be making these every year from now on.
Oh my gosh – what a cookie! Over-the-top delicious! Please check your measurements on the ganache…it made a very thin glaze that ran all over the cookie and the parchment paper. To make a frosting like the one in the picture, you need a much thicker ganache. I ended up using about a cup of chocolate chips to 3/4 c. of cream, and the ganache still ran off the cookie, but it did set up at room temperature. I had lots of ganache left over. I can’t wait to have it on some ice cream. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this very special recipe. Please thank your mother, too.
The 1:1 ratio for ganache ingredients is accurate (I cross-checked). So I’m wondering if the TBSP of cherry juice was a factor. Also, it’s highly recommended to use finely chopped baking bars and not chocolate chips (unless you’re in a pinch). I’d like to try this recipe with those 2 tweaks to the ganache, and see what happens. Sounds yummy! And I can finally use my dragees. 😉
These cookies have been approved by my rather picky family to include in our future Christmas cookie offerings. While the Luxardo cherries are spendy, they are so worth it as they shine in this recipe and aren’t the holidays the time for a little indulgence? They are easy to make too. Absolutely delicious!