I’ve asked Erin from Texanerin Baking to hop over today because she is one of my personal favorites for healthier baked goods. I’ve been trying so many of her recipes and I wanted you all to get to know her so read on about these double chocolate cherry cookies and then head to her site to go pin crazy!!
Hi everyone! I’m Erin and blog over at Texanerin Baking, which is all about making healthier baked goods that taste just as decandent and amazing as their unhealthy counterparts! I post whole wheat goodies about half the time and the other half is usually gluten-free with a lot of dairy-free goodies thrown in, too. Today’s recipe is all those things – gluten-free, whole grain and dairy-free!
I’m super excited to be guest posting for Carrian today. I know she likes gooey chocolaty treats so here we go! I recently posted some paleo double chocolate cookies and got a few questions about what to substitute for the coconut flour. There’s no sub for coconut flour so I thought I’d just post another version using a more common ingredient – whole wheat flour!
If you need a gluten-free version, these cookies can also be made with buckwheat flour. And honestly, I think that version is even more delicious than the whole wheat one. Buckwheat is definitely an acquired taste and I really don’t like it unless it’s used in something super chocolaty like these double chocolate cherry cookies or in the crust of these mini peanut butter cheesecakes.
I prefer to use Dutch-process or Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder which has a darker, more chocolaty taste than regular cocoa powder and it does a great job of covering up the buckwheat taste! These double chocolate cookies seriously taste just like a regular cookie made with all-purpose flour.
When made with buckwheat flour, which is also considered whole grain, these cookies are really more like brownie cookies. With whole wheat, they’re like regular double chocolate cookies. What you can’t do is use all-purpose flour. For some reason I can’t understand, there’s a very strange aftertaste in these cookies if you use all-purpose flour.
I added some dried tart cherries for a tangy add-in, but you could toss in whatever add-in you like! Or just leave it at chocolate chips. I doubt anyone would complain about about that 😉
I hope you all enjoy the cookies! If you ever get a hankering for some healthier sweet treats, I’d love for you to visit me over on Texanerin Baking.
Are Cherries Good For You?
Cherries are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
All of which can help support a healthy system and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancers.
Is Dutch Chocolate Cocoa Powder Different Than Cocoa Powder?
Dutch chocolate cocoa powder has a darker color and has had the acid stripped out of it.
Will Cookies Brown on Parchment Paper?
Yes, cookies will brown on parchment paper.
Parchment paper may help you achieve more even browning when baking cookies.
Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or buckwheat flour for a gluten-free version*, 188 grams
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder or Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy, 86 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, raw sugar, or coconut sugar, 266 grams
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2/3 cup natural almond butter (the kind with just almonds and salt), room temperature, 178 grams
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly, 168 grams
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips*, 255 grams
- 2/3 cup dried tart cherries, 88 grams
Instructions
- 1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- 2. Set aside.
- 3. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, eggs, almond butter, melted coconut oil or butter, and vanilla until well combined.
- 4. Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
- 5. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried cherries. The dough will be thick and sticky like brownie batter.
- 6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to roll into balls.
- 7. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- 8. Roll the dough into sixteen 1 3/4" (82 gram) balls and place 4" apart on the baking sheet.
- 9. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are no longer wet in the middle.
- 10. The cookies will be very soft when you remove them from the oven but will continue to cook on the pan and will firm up considerably as they cool.
- 11. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
** I used about 1 cup of chocolate chips in the dough and I placed the other 1/2 cup on top of the cookie dough balls. It has no effect on the taste but makes them prettier! ** For dairy-free, use coconut oil and dairy-free chocolate chips. store in an airtight container
Nutrition
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Daniela Mangiore
We are excited to have these as one of our recipes for our cookie baking day. Can you give me an estimate about how many one recipe makes so I can figure out how many batches we will need to do?
Sweet Basil
Hi Daniela, we usually get about 2 dozen or less
Suzanne
Okay, these look so yummy I want them NOW! Is there a way of cooking them without having to refrigerate for 2 hours?! Can I turn them into cupcakes or bake them as such? Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Hi Suzanne, the refrigeration helps them set up for a fluffier cookie so I wouldn’t skip it but you could bake them in a muffin tin so they don’t spread as much but the texture will be a little different.
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry
Chocolate and Cherry – a perfect combination! I can’t get over how delicious these cookies look!