Make Ahead

Soft Chocolate Almond Cherry Cookies

by:
November 11, 2015
4.3
3 Ratings
Soft Chocolate Almond Cherry Cookies
Photo by Alpha Smoot
  • Prep time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes about 36 cookies
Author Notes

This is a recipe I created for our Food52 Holiday Cookie Truck. —Merrill Stubbs

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 125 grams almond flour
  • 50 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 1¼ teaspoons flaky sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (pieces should be 1/3 inch or smaller)
  • 2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
Directions
  1. Whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.
  2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula once.
  3. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer and pulse at low speed for 1 to 2 seconds, about 5 times. Remove the towel and keep beating at low speed for about 10 seconds more, until everything is just combined. Scrape down the bowl again.
  4. Add the chopped chocolate and dried cherries and mix on low speed for another 5 seconds or so, just to incorporate. Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
  5. Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 325 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Pour about ¾ cup sugar onto a large plate. Using your hands, form the dough into balls about an inch and a half in diameter. Roll the balls in the sugar and arrange them on the baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart.
  6. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes; they should dome slightly in the middle, and they should look dry on the surface but still be soft to the touch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks for 5 minutes, then transfer the parchment to the racks to finish cooling.
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25 Reviews

Lina
Lina March 31, 2021
My cookies came out perfect and they don’t crumble apart when I picked them up to eat them don’t ask me why because normally my cookies spread too much these look exactly like they’re supposed to be soft and moist and I weighed everything on the scale I converted it all to grams and weighed everything. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate so I don’t think they’re that delicious sent me that they’re good but I’d much rather have a chocolate crinkle cookie they’re easier and prettier
 
Elizabeth
Elizabeth January 2, 2021
Just made them, and I think there's an error in writing the recipe. First, I rolled them into balls as instructed, and they came out as balls instead of flattening slightly while baking. I did use a digital scale when measuring out ingredients. And, as others have noted, they have NO structural integrity. And when you come to think of it, it's not that surprising, with no egg and no gluten in the almond flour. I might beat them a little longer next time. If you're supposed to squish them a little flatter or pack them tightly to make them hold together better, it should say so in the recipe. BUT--with all that said--they're super-yummy!
 
Callan C.
Callan C. August 12, 2020
Like other commenters, I also noticed some differences between this recipe and the version in A New Way to Dinner. In the book, the baking temp is 350 and it calls for 1 cup (200 g) of granulated sugar instead of just 1/4 cup. Could there be a misprint?
 
Callan C.
Callan C. August 13, 2020
Correction - it looks like the extra 3/4 cup of sugar called for in the book is for dusting the cookies!
 
erinbdm
erinbdm July 9, 2018
I have this recipe in A Better Way to Dinner and notice some small differences such as baking at 350 vs 325. The cookies didn’t bake right. They retained their shape in the oven and are quite granular and crumbly. I noticed others had this issue too. I weighed all my ingredients and followed the recipe with care. Any insights into why this happens?
 
Andrea
Andrea January 10, 2018
I have made this recipe twice. The first time I followed it exactly, and the cookies turned out far too soft and crumbly, they just didn’t hold together well. The second time, I again followed the recipe but added an egg to the wet mix and whipped it until nice and fluffy. That addition completely transformed the cookies into decadent perfection! I would highly recommend adding an egg!
 
Annie L.
Annie L. December 18, 2017
I did try adding an egg (see comment 6 months ago), and the cookies didn't come out as good. You could actually taste the egg.

Jenn F., what do you mean by almond? Almond paste?
 
Jenn F.
Jenn F. December 18, 2017
I forgot to type milk! I used about a tablespoon of almond milk. (That's what I had on hand - I'd guess any type of milk would do the same thing.) Hope that helps!
 
Jenn F.
Jenn F. December 16, 2017
Wow, what a great recipe! Based on the comments I decided to add a tablespoon of almond to the wet ingredients which worked well for me. The dough wasn't dry or crumbly at all and they domed up nicely in the oven. Thanks for the recipe, Food52!
 
Annie L.
Annie L. June 24, 2017
I agree with all these comments. We have made them twice. This time I used a scale for all of the measurements. They are so awesomely delicious, but the they don't hold together well enough. For example, I was taking a sheet out of the oven and the back three cookies slid off-- and they just formed a pile of crumbs in the oven-- there was no indication that they were shaped like cookies. It's better when they cool, but still they fall apart too easily.
Next time I am going to try adding an egg, and I'll try to remember to report back on how it goes.
 
Trisha B.
Trisha B. December 29, 2015
Can I use all only all-purpose flour in place of almond flour and if so any suggestions / additions for taste? Me and the kids are allergic to almonds and wouldn't bother to make but it appears to be so delicious! Any help appreciated.
 
Jane
Jane October 23, 2017
I see this went unanswered 2 years ago. I hope that maybe someone has tried it with only all-purpose flour since then. I’d like to see a response for the same allergies reason.
 
Jen
Jen December 3, 2018
I have not tested this for you two, but I think part of this cookie’s essence is in the almond flour soft texture. I recently discovered hazelnut flour... that might be an interesting and equally chewy substitution for you! Best of luck.
 
Jane
Jane December 3, 2018
Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, the allergy is to all nuts, not just almonds. I might just try with all regular flour...what do I have to lose? I’ll let you know!
 
Linda W.
Linda W. December 27, 2015
I followed the recipe as closely as possible, considering that grams don't convert to perfect measurements in cups and I don't have a scale. I interpreted 'pulsing' using a mixer as a series of short beatings. The cookies looked nothing like the nicely domed ones in the picture; they were flat like florentines and crumbled when picked up. The flavor was a nice rich chocolate and I liked the texture that the almond flour gives, but what could I have done wrong? I was thinking of adding an egg next time so they would hold together better.
 
Afsana L.
Afsana L. May 4, 2016
Mine too were crumbly. Did you get to try it out again with the addition of the egg?
 
Alex G.
Alex G. December 22, 2015
Just sampled one of the first ones out of the oven. WOW! These are amazing cookies. I pressed them hard into a small scoop because the dough was a bit crumbly.
 
Edna
Edna December 19, 2015
I had these cookies at the Food52 holiday market and loved them! Just made them and followed the recipe to the T (even used a food scale!) but the texture was somewhat grainy/crumbly and didn't have the same chewy texture as what I tried. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated as I'd love to try this again!
 
Two T.
Two T. December 8, 2015
Can Dutch cocoa powder be used?
 
rachel
rachel December 7, 2015
I went to the Food52 holiday market this past weekend and had a delicious cookie from a plate by the register. The woman working said it was the founder's recipe! Is this the recipe for those same cookies?? If not, is it available anywhere on the site? I would love to make them :)
 
Ali S.
Ali S. December 11, 2015
Hi Rachel, This is one of the two cookies that you can get on the Cookie Truck and the Holiday Market. This is the other one: https://food52.com/recipes/39259-chewy-vanilla-spice-cookies-with-chocolate-chunks-vegan-too
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 23, 2015
Yes. Seriously, yes. I plan to make these soon, perhaps adding diced crystalized ginger. ;o)
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. November 24, 2015
Sounds like a great addition.
 
Sara L.
Sara L. November 23, 2015
These sound amazing! I have been loving anything with chocolate and cherries recently. Do you think you could you add walnuts or other kinds of nuts to this recipe?
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. November 24, 2015
Yes, sure! Keep in mind they're made primarily with almond flour, so they're already a little nutty. :)