Double Dark Chocolate & Cherry Black Forest Cookies

I was flipping through a cookbook the other day and saw a picture of a glorious black forest cake and all I could think was, what if you could turn that into a cookie! So that’s exactly what I set out to do. And I’m happy to say that these Double Dark Chocolate and Cherry Black Forest Cookies are just as delicious as I imagined them to be.

After your cookie dough ingredients are combined, scoop out the dough and form golf ball sized dough balls. Place these onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. This will keep the cookies from spreading too much. Pop the dough, baking sheets and all, into the refrigerator to chill your dough.

After the dough is firmly chilled, bake cookies until just done. Do not overbake. You want the edges to be slightly firm while the middles are still soft. Remember, they will continue to bake a little even after they’re removed from the oven.

You could stop right here and have some of the greatest double dark chocolate cookies of your life…

Or you could add a dollop of whipped black cherry frosting and top it all off with a fresh black cherry!

Because, if you like cherries as much as my family and I do, there’s nothing better than pairing them chocolate. On a cookie. With whipped frosting!

Yum

Double Dark Chocolate & Cherry Black Forest Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose-flour
3/4 Special Dark Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
10 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
3/4 dark brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups special dark chocolate chips

For the Frosting

1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
3 oz box Black Cherry Jell-O
Fresh black cherries (or jar of stemmed maraschino cherries)

Instructions

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, 4-5 mins. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
Turn the mixer on low and gradually add in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Use a spoon or cookie scoop to portion out dough and roll into golf ball sized balls.
Place dough balls on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (this will keep them from spreading too much).
Refrigerate until firm or over night.
Preheat oven to 350° degrees.
Bake cookies for 12 - 14 mins or until just firm, careful not to over bake.
Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For Frosting

Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to Jell-O and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Place in refrigerator until slightly thickened.
In the meantime, add powdered sugar and heavy cream to mixing bowl and beat with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
Stir in cooled and slightly thickened Jell-O.
Top cookies with frosting and a fresh cherry.

https://www.southernrevivals.com/double-dark-chocolate-cherry-black-forest-cookies/

©Southern Revivals

Cookies can be made ahead, as can the frosting. You can go ahead and pair the two in advance, as well, due to the nature of the dense cookie and thanks to the gelatin in the whipped frosting. The cookies will hold up for some time. But I wouldn’t prep them too far in advance. You can also replace fresh cherries with maraschinos with stems, if you prefer, or if you want to avoid the pits.

This cookie recipe is brought to you as part of the 2018 Good Cookies Food Bloggers’ Valentine’ Event to help raise money for pediatric cancer research. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this charity and also to peruse the other delicious recipes created in honor of this event.

This is the second year for our Valentine’s event! We want to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer!

Did you know that cancer is the #1 cause of death of children by disease in the U.S.? There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. With less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget going to all childhood cancer combined, I knew it was important for me to get involved.

Help us make a difference by donating to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer! Our goal is to raise at least $3000. Because these three companies: Dixie Crystals, Mediavine and OXO have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000!!!

You can still donate and help us make an even bigger difference!