If you’re searching for a cookie swap winner, these cherry chocolate crinkle cookies are the kind you pull out when you want something that looks impressive and tastes fantastic. The dough chills in the fridge, bakes up with those classic snowy cracks, and inside there are little pockets of cherries and chocolate.
Brighten up your Cookie Tray with Cherry Crinkle Cookies
When you want a cookie that will stand out at your cookie swap this year, try some chocolate crinkle cookies. They look fancy, the pink color pops, and they’re ridiculously easy. Think gooey cherry preserves, chopped dark chocolate hidden inside, and that classic snowy crinkle coating everyone loves.
What I like about these is they’re not your typical chocolate crinkle cookies. They’re full of cherry flavor. It comes from both preserves and dried cherries, so you actually taste it. Most of the color comes naturally from the preserves. The tiny bit of food coloring just enhances the red color. If you want to leave it out, they’ll still be pink.
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You know how in winter, the fresh cherries at the grocery store taste like cardboard? This is the fix. Cherry preserves do all the heavy lifting until real cherries come back in season. And the chocolate? It’s subtle but makes the cookie feel richer without turning it into a straight-up chocolate cookie.
Heads-up: the dough is soft because of the preserves, so it needs several hours in the fridge. Don’t skip it or the cookies will spread too much. Once it’s chilled, roll the dough in granulated sugar first, then a double dose of powdered sugar. That’s how you get those crisp white crinkles that stay bright after baking.
How do you make chocolate crinkle cookies recipe
Step 1:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and then add an egg, cherry preserves, food coloring and extracts.
// I used Bonne Maman cherry preserves //
Step 2:
Add the dry ingredients and once combined, add dried cherries and chopped chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 3:
Use an ice cream scoop to roll into balls. First coat the ball roll in regular sugar and then roll it in the powdered sugar, making certain it is completely covered. Bake.
Fun variation: If you’re feeling fancy, substitute in white chocolate chips!
Pro tip: To get the most beautiful white crackles, roll the cookies twice in powdered sugar.
What you have is a great cookie, not too sweet but with lots of character that will brighten any cookie tray. Don’t forget about this recipe come Valentines day ❤️.
To preserve the white crinkles, store these in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them.
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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Cherry Preserves
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temp
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup cherry preserves
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon red food coloring paste 1 teaspoon if using food coloring liquid
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cherries chopped
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat butter. ½ cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add preserves, food coloring and extracts and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate and cherries. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl and confectioners sugar in a separate bowl. Form dough into balls using an ice cream scoop. Roll first in regular sugar and then in confectioners sugar and place them about 2 inches apart on prepared pans.
- Bake until the cookies are cracked and dry on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- This recipe makes 24 large cookies using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, if making smaller cookies, decrease the baking time to about 12 minutes.
- If the sugar doesn’t stick to the balls, let the dough warm up a little.
- Make sure you coat completely in powdered sugar.
- You can use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate.
Nutrition
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Ellen says
Hi Barbara! I just made your chocolate cherry Krinkle cookies but they didn’t “krinkle” with the powdered sugar that great. Did I not put enough do you think? I did roll them in powd sugar and it was all over the cookie. What’s your thoughts?
Thank you!
Barbara Curry says
You need lots of powdered sugar to have it stand out on the cookies. I will generally double roll the cookies.