Cherry

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies with Black Pepper

by:
February 13, 2012
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Chocolate-Cherry Cookies with Black Pepper
Photo by James Ransom
Author Notes

I am a sucker for black pepper. I started adding it to my favorite extra-gooey chocolate cookies for certain get togethers (these are definitely cookies for the grown-up crowd). Dried cherries offset the spiciness and of course are delish with the dark chocolate. (Base for cookie recipe adapted from Baking and Pastry by the Culinary Institute of America). —Erin Jeanne McDowell

  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes about a dozen cookies
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup (+ 1 tablespoon) all purpose flour (35 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
  • pinch salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (6 g)
  • 2 1/4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (64 g)
  • 8 ounces good dark chocolate (60% region is good) (227 g)
  • 3 tablespoons butter (42 g)
  • 3 eggs (171 g)
  • 1 cup (+ 2 tablespoons) sugar (227 g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 g)
  • 5 ounces dried cherries, roughly chopped (142 g)
  • 6 ounces good dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (171 g)
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper together.
  2. Melt the chocolates and butter together over a double boiler. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (should still be fluid but not too hot).
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Increase to medium speed and mix until the mixture is pale and thick, about 4-5 minutes.
  4. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture, and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing just to combine. Fold in the cherries and and chocolate chunks.
  5. Scoop the dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet, and press down the dough slightly. Because this cookie is largely made up of melted chocolate, the chocolate begins to set and firm up as the dough sits, so do your best to bake the cookies right away.
  6. Bake in a 350 degree oven until set around the edges (they will still appear very soft in the middle, but will set as they cool), about 10-12 minutes (this is using a large cookie scoop, keep an eye on the first batch depending on how big you're making your cookies). Do not overbake - these cookies are wonderfully ooey-gooey when baked just until set with a crackled surface. Cool on a wire rack.
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  • Irene Au
    Irene Au
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  • Amy
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Erin Jeanne McDowell
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, The Book on Pie, is out on November 10th, 2020.

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5 Reviews

Robert N.
Robert N. February 25, 2017
I just made them. I used 1 and 1/4 cup flour and 2T butter. I also used tart cherries, although I don't know if it made a difference since there is so much chocolate. It is hard for even the 2t of pepper to show up on your tongue! I might try ground chile piquin next time. Don't get me wrong, these cookies are great! Very rich. Take small bites! Also, she isn't kidding, you need to work quickly to get the cookies on the pan, because the dough does start to set as you're panning them up. Lastly, I got 3 dozen 2 inch cookies (you wouldn't want them larger since they are so rich.
 
Robert N.
Robert N. February 25, 2017
The flour measurement is the first reason I came to check out the comments, but also, the amount of chocolate! That's a lot of chocolate for only a dozen cookies! I assume that the flour is just a typo of "ounces" for "cup" (given the baking powder amount).
 
Irene A.
Irene A. February 10, 2017
I ended up using a cup of flour and the cookies turned out edible. They were super rich even with all that flour!
 
Amy
Amy February 10, 2017
Yes, I too and wary of the flour measurement. Thank you kindly :)
These maybe a great V-Day cookie ❤
 
Irene A.
Irene A. January 31, 2017
Is this recipe really correct? It calls for 1.25 oz of flour.