These double chocolate cherry cookies are incredibly dark and soft, with bursts of tartness thanks to dried tart cherries!
I was asked to participate in the National Cherry Month #GoTart Campaign as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I was compensated for my time but the opinions expressed are, as always, my own!
As someone who doesn’t like vegetables, I try to eat a ton of fruit and at this point of the year, I’m ridiculously tired of apples, oranges and bananas. Enter dried tart cherries! I’ve been snacking on them for the past few weeks and thought I’d throw them into some cookies to see how they did. And, well… look. I think it worked out. ;)
The dried tart cherries add the nicest little bursts of tartness! And as a bonus, they make these 100% whole wheat (and dairy-free!) double chocolate cookies rich in Vitamin A. I used semi-sweet chocolate but you can use dark chocolate if you like.
By the way, if you love tart cherries, try this great Moon Milk!
I prefer eating these straight from the oven when they’re warm and gooey but if you have any leftovers the day after baking, I really recommend popping them in the microwave for 10 seconds. Weirdly enough, my husband prefers them at room temperature and liked how they hardened up a little on the second and third days.
These cookies have a lot more sugar than I usually use but after trial after trial of not-so-nicely-texture double chocolate cookies, I just went with the sugar. If you want non-cakey cookies, you just have to go with it!
I think these are perfect year-round cookies. Wishing for the summer in the winter? Tart cherry cookies. Like the red theme for Valentine’s Day but don’t want to use food coloring? Make these! Have fresh tart cherries in the summer? I haven’t actually tried it but it at least sounds interesting!
Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies (100% whole grain, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (187 grams) whole wheat flour, whole spelt flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (124 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup (168 grams) refined coconut oil1
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) unrefined sugar
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup (120 grams) chocolate chips (use Enjoy Life chocolate chips for a dairy-free version)
- 1 cup (120 grams) dried tart cherries
Directions
- Preheat the oven 350°F (176°C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil.
- To the melted coconut oil, add the sugar, honey, vanilla and eggs and stir until well combined. Let it sit for 5 minutes to let the sugar dissolve.
- Add the dry mix to the wet and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and dried tart cherries.
- Roll into 24 1-1/4" balls and place them 2" apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Press the balls down with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies appear set in the middle. Do not over bake!
- Let the cookies cool for two minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
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95 comments on “Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies (whole grain, dairy-free)” — Add one!
Hey there do you think I could replace the coconut oil with almond butter? I don’t care for the taste of coconut oil. Thanx!
Hello! You can’t use those two interchangeably but you can use butter instead of coconut butter. Or you can use refined coconut oil, which has absolutely no coconut flavor/smell. :)
Hi Erin, would I be able to make this recipe with butter instead of coconut oil? It sounds so yummy!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It landed in spam for some weird reason. Yes, that would work fine! Sorry again.
Has anyone tried these with gluten free flour? They sound just too delicious to ignore.
These are terrific. I made them this afternoon for my son and husband, and BOY are they a hit! The dough is yummuy too… :)
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Jaime! And awesome that your son and husband liked them, too! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
I made them a second time and chopped up the cherries to make sure that they were more evenly distributed in the cookies. That was my husband’s only complaint the first time around – even better!
Great idea! So happy that that worked better for you. I’ll try to remember that for next time! :)
Jaime if you got the answer to if they can be gluten free, can you share with me I want to know the same thing, Thanks!
Mmm! I love them in curry! I make a pumpkin curry with dried tart cherries in it and it is PHENOMENAL!
That’s such an interesting combination!
These cookies are really making me wish I wasn’t paleo right now!!!
Sorry about that! ;)
Muffins – great with my coffee in the mornings
Or lunch or dinner or whenever. ;) Love muffins!
I love cherry cordial chocolates and cherry garcia ice cream and cherry pie… I just love cherries!
Cordial chocolates?! Checking those out. Never heard of them!
Looks so delicious!
Thanks! :)
I love tart cherries in granola with some dark chocolate thrown in there too! Delicious on top of Greek yogurt!
Definitely making chocolate cherry granola soon! :)
Tart cherries are *hands down* my favorite dried fruit to bake with because I’m a girl who can eat, like, 10 chocolate truffles in one sitting and not be overwhelmed by the richness (or the onlookers’ stares of horror). I’m all about big flavors in small packages. I usually throw dried cherries into my banana/oat/peanut butter/applesauce “healthy cookies” or use them in homemade trail mixes, but I subbed them for dried cranberries in a full-sugar cookie recipe once and nommed nommed nommed all the way home (http://armypantsandflipflops.com/2012/11/19/thanksgiving-care-package-turkey-liver-disclaimer/).
Haha. Same here. I hate reading recipes where the author writes stuff like, “These were so good that I ate three. They were that good.” And then I go and eat 14. Apparently I have no self control. ;) Going to go check out your post!
These look absolutely incredible. I love the health benefits of unrefined coconut oil (plus the taste), so I plan to use that, instead. What a great blog; I look forward to many more recipes.
Thank you! :) I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies and the other recipes!
This looks so good. Can’t wait to try!
I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Thanks for sharing a wholesome cookie recipe! I like to enjoy tart cherries with my morning oatmeal and yogurt. #GoTart
You’re welcome, Rada! :)
cherries and chocolate are the perfect combination!
I think so too, Erin! :)
These cookies look and sound so amazing. I can’t wait to get them in the oven. Thank you so very much for sharing.
These cookies look amazing…I can’t wait to get them in the oven…thank you so very much for sharing!
You’re welcome! I hope you get a chance to make them. :)
Simple and classic: cherry pie or cherry cobbler
Mmm. I would love both of those right now! :)
Hi,
Can’t wait to try this recipe. The cookies look delicious!
I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
These cookies look SO good. I love using dried tart cherries in salads and granola!
Thanks, Jen! :)
I LOVE tart cherries in cookies! I have never added them with dark chocolate…only white. I am definitely making these!
Ooh! I don’t think I’ve used them with white chocolate (which is silly because I love white chocolate even more than regular chocolate!) Thanks for the idea. :)
WOW – these cookies are just jumping off the screen and look simply divine!!!
Thanks, Lisa! :)
I like them in granola!
I definitely need to get on a cherry chocolate granola recipe! :)
they look yummy!
Thanks, Dina! :)
JUST PURCHASED A BAG, PLANNED ON MAKING CHERRY ALMOND SCONES. GUESS I’M RETHINKING THAT. NEED DAILY DOSE OF CHOCOLATE……LOL.
Haha. I hope you’ll like the cookies! :)
The choco-holic in me NEEDS these right now! What a gorgeous, gooey cookie, Erin! Love your recipe.
Thanks, Georgia! :)
Dried cherries on my green salads, or mixed with walnuts in chicken salad…or with anything chocolate for dessert :)
Now to find a nice GF flour blend that works with this recipe :)
I need to come up with a good grain-free chocolate cookie recipe! Thanks for the idea. :)
Yum! Chocolate cookies with cherries sound amazing! I like to use cherries when making pound cakes :D
I’ve never tried that but it sounds amazing!
Can’t wait for these to be in my mouth lol…
Haha. Well I hope it happens soon enough! :)
These look delicious! :) I enjoy cherries in my granola in the morning.
Thanks, Allison! And cherry granola sounds great. What about chocolate cherry granola?! Mmm. I think I need to make that. :)
Awesome sauce! A nice way to introduce cherries to my baking!
Yup! Just toss them into anything chocolatey. Can just make things more interesting. ;)
Oh my goodness, I love tart cherries! I eat them at night with chocolate and cashews to help me sleep :)
Are tart cherries good for that? I had no idea. :)
I made banana bread yesterday with dried cherries and chocolate chips – YUM!!
That sounds like an awesome use for them! :)
These cookies look unbelievable! Seriously amazing!
Thanks a bunch, Jocelyn! :)
Ohh those cookies are right up my alley!!! I like dried cherries in nut bars too (nuts, dates and dried cherries in the food processor!!)
Whoa! That sounds amazing. Definitely need to think about trying that. :)
Double chocolate anything is good, but mixing in cherries too? That’s pure genius! I wish I could just pick out a cookie from my screen and eat it now :)
Wish I could share, Kayla! :)
I love anything with chocolate and cherries, these cookies are just what my afternoon needs!
And your morning and your evening. ;)
I like dried cherries in a salad.
Great idea! Now to only get me to like salad. ;)
I love cherries dipped in chocolate! A nice tart-sweet combo :)
Mmm! Sounds super tasty. :)
Chocolate and cherry are so wonderful together! I love dried cherries mixed into my oatmeal (with chocolate chips and almonds, of course)
Hehe. Gotta have the chocolate! :)
These sound and look delicious! Why did I chose to go paleo? Just kidding. I may be making these for my nonpaleo eating family members, I am sure they will love them.
Haha. Sorry, Hannah! I’ll have some grain-free goodies coming up soon. :) I hope your family will like the cookies!
I would love these in cookies, muffins, or a bread.
Thanks for the chance to win.
You’re welcome, Charlotte! :)
These look amazing, Erin! I made something similar last weekend, but faaaaar from healthy ;) Can’t wait to try your version!
Hehe. Can’t wait to see what you did with your cherries! :)
AWESOME looking cookies! Can’t wait to make for office!!!!
Thank you! And I hope they’ll love them! :)
I am loving the ingredient list for these cookies! And you can’t go wrong with cherry and chocolate. They’d make a great Valentine’s treat this week :)
Agreed! Chocolate and cherries… always a good thing. :)
Really excited to try this recipe. I love chocolate and cherries together
I hope you’ll love them, Melissa! :)
I love dried cherries mixed in with a nut blend. Throwing in some chocolate doesn’t hurt, either! :)
Ooh, a nut blend! Great idea. :)