Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies Recipe

Chocolate Cherry Cookies are a delightful sweet treat that pair rich cocoa with a hint of cherry. Cut them into hearts and drizzle with chocolate for an irresistible Valentine’s Day cookie.

close up of cookie with strips — Are you more of a stripes or a sprinkles person?

I often share easy and delicious Valentine’s desserts and these Chocolate Cherry Cookies are one of my favorites. They are a cocoa-spiked version of a classic heart sugar cookie—flavored with cherry oil and finished with a chocolate coating. They bake into tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are perfect for gifting or serving at a holiday gathering.

These cookies are a variation of a favorite heart sugar cookie recipe, adapted with cocoa powder, a touch of cherry flavoring, and a glossy chocolate coating for dipping and decorating. The result is simple to make and incredibly satisfying.

What Goes Into This Recipe:

Butter: For best texture, keep the butter cold if you plan to use a food processor to cut it into the sugar. If you prefer to mix by hand or in a stand mixer, allow butter to soften slightly so it mixes easily.

Decorations: Use sprinkles or candy melts to create stripes or other designs—both are optional and add a festive look.

Cherry Flavoring: This is concentrated, so use it sparingly. A little adds a delightful cherry note without overpowering the cookie.

Chocolate Cherry Heart Cookies ingredients in individual bowls.

chocolate cherry cookie with bite taken out — It reminds me a bit of a cherry thin mint (without the mint).

Make sure to check out these other Valentine’s Day Treats:

Chocolate M&M Valentine Sprinkles
Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Dark Chocolate Valentine’s Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cake Box Cookies

How to make Chocolate Cherry Cookies:

Process granulated sugar in a food processor for a finer texture (optional but recommended).
Add cold butter and pulse until combined, then add egg, vanilla, and a small amount of cherry flavoring.
Mix in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder until the dough comes together.
Divide the dough in half, roll between parchment to about 1/8″ thickness, and refrigerate for at least 1½ hours.
Cut out heart shapes (or other shapes) and bake until set.
Cool the cookies, dip in the chocolate coating, add decorative drizzles or sprinkles, and allow the coating to set.

Do I have to use a food processor?

I use a food processor for two main reasons:

It makes the sugar finer, which contributes to a delicate, tender texture.
It blends cold butter into the sugar quickly without warming it, which helps keep the dough from becoming greasy.

If you don’t have a food processor, the cookies will still be delicious. Use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer and be sure to keep the butter cold when cutting it into the sugar for the best texture.

before and after baking of cookies — These make some of the prettiest and tastiest chocolate sugar cookies.

Cherry Oil? Where to find it

Cherry oil (also called cherry flavoring) is concentrated and usually sold in small bottles in the baking or cake-decorating aisle. It may be labeled as cherry oil or cherry extract. Use just a few drops when flavoring the dough or the chocolate so the cherry note remains pleasant and not medicinal.

How to use Cherry Oil

Flavored oils are highly concentrated. Add only a few drops, taste, and then adjust carefully. If you add too much to the chocolate coating, melt additional chocolate to dilute the flavor until you reach the balance you like.

Trouble moving cut-out cookies?

If the chilled dough is difficult to lift from the parchment, cut around each shape with scissors and transfer the cookie on the surrounding parchment directly to the baking sheet. This avoids stretching or distorting the cookies.

cookie with red and black strips and another with sprinkles — These cookies are so fun to decorate!

What kind of baking sheet should I use?

A rimless baking sheet allows better air circulation and can help cookies bake more evenly. If you only have a rimmed sheet, that’s fine; you can also turn a rimmed sheet upside down and bake on the flat underside for a similar effect.

How to coat the cookies in chocolate

There are a few easy ways to coat the cookies:

Use a fork to dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, letting excess drip off before placing on parchment to set.
Set cookies on a cooling rack and pour chocolate over each cookie, then transfer to parchment to finish setting.
For speed, dip each cookie by hand, face down, into the chocolate. It’s a bit messier but faster.

After coating, add sprinkles or drizzle candy melts for decoration. Refrigerate briefly until the coating sets.

If you enjoy cherry-flavored treats, these are a lovely way to celebrate the season. Leave a comment to say if you’re a cherry fan!

Also check other easy and delicious Valentine’s recipes like red velvet cake balls, a heart-shaped cake, heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies, and a chocolate strawberry Valentine’s cake.

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Cookies—rich cocoa dough with a hint of cherry, dipped in chocolate and decorated for Valentine’s Day.

Author:
Lisa Killian

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
10 minutes

Refrigerating Time:
1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour 50 minutes

Servings:
40 Cookies (varies by cutter size)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cherry flavoring (LorAnn oils recommended)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate Coating

14 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1–2 teaspoons vegetable shortening or refined coconut oil
1–2 drops cherry flavoring
White and red candy melts for stripes (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

How to make Chocolate Cherry Cookies:

In a food processor, process sugar for 30–45 seconds to make it superfine (not powdered).
Add cold butter pieces and process another 30–45 seconds until the butter and sugar are just combined.
Add the egg, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon cherry flavoring. Process until combined, scraping sides as needed. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder; process until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half. Place one half between two large sheets of parchment and roll to about 1/8″ thickness. Repeat with the other half. Refrigerate the flattened dough for at least 1½ hours.
Preheat oven to 300°F and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut out heart shapes and place on prepared sheets. Re-roll scraps as needed, keeping dough chilled between batches. Use a cold baking sheet for each new batch if possible.
Bake on the second-to-lowest rack for about 20 minutes, then cool completely before coating.

Make the chocolate coating:

Combine the chocolate, oil, and 1–2 drops cherry flavoring in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Taste and adjust cherry flavor or add more chocolate if needed to balance.
Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, tapping off excess. Place on parchment and add sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
Melt candy melts the same way if you want stripes. Drizzle over the set chocolate and allow to harden for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Tips and Tricks

Processing the sugar in a food processor is optional but improves the cookie’s texture; skipping it will still yield tasty cookies, just with a slightly different mouthfeel.
If dough is too cold to lift from the parchment, cut around the shape and transfer the cookie on the parchment directly to the baking sheet.
A rimless or turned-over baking sheet promotes even airflow and can give more even baking results.

Nutrition