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    Home » Recipes » Recipes » Desserts » Cookies

    Black Forest Cookies: A Cherry-Chocolate Dream Come True

    Published by Melissa on December 11, 2016 | Updated March 14, 2025 | 58 Comments

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    Indulge in these irresistible Black Forest cookies that combine rich chocolate with tart cherries for a bakery-quality treat you can make at home. Perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, afternoon tea, or midnight snack cravings!

    These Black Forest Cookies are a soft, rich chocolate cookie loaded with chocolate chips and cherries but have a fun powdery white crackled outside.

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    There’s something magical about the combination of chocolate and cherries that transforms an ordinary cookie into something extraordinary. These Black Forest cookies capture all the flavors of the classic German cake but in a convenient, hand-held form that kids and adults alike will adore.

    What makes these cookies truly special is their gorgeous crackled exterior that gives way to a fudgy, brownie-like interior studded with bursts of tart cherries and melty chocolate chips.

    They’re impressive enough for company but simple enough for a weeknight baking project with the little ones. The powdered sugar coating creates that beautiful snowfall effect that makes these cookies look as spectacular as they taste!

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Black Forest Cookies Recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • How To Make Black Forest Cookies
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Expert Tips
    • More Delicious Cookie Recipes to Consider
    • Black Forest Cookies
    A plate of Black Forest Crinkle Cookies topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, creating a distinctive cracked appearance. The cookies are artfully arranged on a decorative plate, set against the rich contrast of a red tablecloth in the background.

    Why You’ll Love This Black Forest Cookies Recipe

    • Perfect Texture Contrast: These cookies have a delightful crackly exterior with a soft, fudgy center that mimics the beloved texture of brownies.
    • Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, allowing you to bake fresh cookies whenever the craving strikes.
    • Crowd-Pleasing Flavor: The combination of rich chocolate and tart cherries offers a sophisticated flavor profile that appeals to both children and adults.
    • Visually Stunning: Their crackled, powdered sugar appearance makes them gorgeous additions to any cookie platter without requiring decorating skills.

    🍪 My kids absolutely love it when I surprise them with any type of chocolate cookies — it makes the day special!

    Recipe Ingredients

    • All-purpose flour
    • Granulated sugar
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • Butter — unsalted
    • Cocoa powder — not Dutch process
    • Eggs
    • Chocolate extract
    • Vanilla extract
    • Chocolate chips — I like semi-sweet in this recipe.
    • Dried tart cherries
    • Powdered sugar

    See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    Ingredients for baking Black Forest Crinkle Cookies on a countertop: butter in a bowl on a scale, a measuring cup with liquid, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, raisins, an egg, and two bottles of vanilla extract.

    How To Make Black Forest Cookies

    Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

    Step 2: Melt butter in a second small bowl in a microwave or a small saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa to melted butter, whisking until smooth. Stir in the eggs, chocolate and vanilla extracts, fully blending in each one before adding the next.

    Step 3: Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold chocolate chips and cherries into the dough until evenly distributed.

    Step 4: Shape into generous 2-inch balls using a cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon measure. Roll balls in granulated sugar, then roll balls in powdered sugar (use lots of powdered sugar).

    Step 5: Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until cookies are cracked, yet still soft. (The look a bit uncooked even when they’re done.) Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

    Featured Image for post Black Forest Crinkle Cookies.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I use maraschino cherries instead of dried tart cherries?

    While maraschino cherries have that classic Black Forest look, they contain too much moisture for these cookies. If you can’t find dried tart cherries, try dried cranberries as a suitable substitute that still provides that fruity tartness.

    Why did my cookies spread too much during baking?

    The most common culprit is warm dough. If your kitchen is warm or you’ve been handling the dough extensively, refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking. Also, make sure your baking sheets are completely cool between batches.

    Can I freeze these cookies?

    Absolutely! These Black Forest cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the formed dough balls before baking, or freeze completely cooled baked cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.

    Why don’t my cookies have the crackled appearance?

    The signature crackled top comes from rolling the cookies thoroughly in both granulated and powdered sugar. Be generous with the powdered sugar coating—it should look almost excessive before baking.

    These Black Forest Cookies are a soft, rich chocolate cookie loaded with chocolate chips and cherries but have a fun powdery white crackled outside.

    Expert Tips

    • Quality Matters: Use high-quality cocoa powder for the richest chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) works best in this recipe as it reacts with the baking powder.
    • Cherry Preparation: Chop the dried cherries if they’re particularly large to ensure even distribution throughout the dough.
    • Double Coating: Don’t skip either sugar coating step! The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar adhere better and creates that perfect crackle effect.
    • Parchment Is Your Friend: These cookies can be sticky, so parchment paper is essential for easy removal from the baking sheet.
    Black-Forest-Cookies-Collage-Barbara-Bakes.

    More Delicious Cookie Recipes to Consider

    • Four large chocolate chip cookies on a sheet of parchment paper in a rectangular baking pan, resting on a wooden surface.
      Bakery Style Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Chocolate cookies topped with red heart-shaped sprinkles and pastel candies, arranged on a white surface. These decorated Valentine Day cookies feature a cracked texture and a festive, heart-filled theme perfect for celebrating love.
      Decorated Valentine’s Day Cookies
    • Three chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich rolled in colorful rainbow sprinkles, are stacked on top of each other against a white background.
      Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
    • Lofthouse cookies recipe topped with swirled pink frosting and colorful rainbow sprinkles are cooling on a wire rack set on a striped cloth.
      Lofthouse Cookies Recipe

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    Featured Image for post Black Forest Crinkle Cookies.
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    4.25 from 4 votes

    Black Forest Cookies

    Indulge in these irresistible Black Forest cookies that combine rich chocolate with tart cherries for a bakery-quality treat you can make at home. Perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, afternoon tea, or midnight snack cravings!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time12 minutes mins
    Total Time22 minutes mins
    Servings: 24 cookies
    Calories: 221kcal
    Author: Melissa Griffiths
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cup sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
    • ⅔ cup cocoa powder not Dutch process
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 1 cup dried tart cherries 1.5 ounces
    • ½ granulated sugar
    • ½ to 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
    • Melt butter in a second small bowl in a microwave or a small saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa to melted butter, whisking until smooth. Stir in the eggs, chocolate and vanilla extracts, fully blending in each one before adding the next.
    • Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold chocolate chips and cherries into the dough until evenly distributed.
    • Shape into generous 2-inch balls using a cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon measure. Roll balls in granulated sugar, then roll balls in powdered sugar
      (use lots of powdered sugar).
    • Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until cookies are cracked, yet still soft, do not overbake. (The look a bit uncooked even when they’re done.) Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

    Notes

    • These cookies should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. The centers will continue to set as they cool. Look for cracked tops and set edges, even if the center appears a bit soft.
    • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for the full 5 minutes before transferring. They’re very soft when hot and need this time to set up properly.
    • Don’t skip either sugar coating step! The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar adhere better and creates that perfect crackle effect.
    • Natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) works best in this recipe as it reacts with the baking powder.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 323IU | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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    Comments

      4.25 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lee

      December 07, 2023 at 3:52 pm

      Could I use cut up glazed cherries in place of the dried ones?

      Reply
    2. Sarah Schulner

      December 19, 2022 at 6:00 pm

      can i make these without the dried cherries?

      Reply
      • Melissa Griffiths

        December 30, 2022 at 1:11 pm

        Yep and you can always sub something else like dried cranberries if you’d like.

        Reply
    3. LInda T MacGregor

      December 14, 2021 at 8:02 am

      I made this recipe this past weekend and my batter was really dry. I don’t know if I did something wrong.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 14, 2021 at 8:42 am

        Hi Linda – often how you measure your flour makes a big difference. Here’s a post about it https://www.barbarabakes.com/how-to-measure-flour/

        Reply
    4. Lisha

      December 14, 2018 at 1:51 pm

      Just wondering if you can refrigerate the dough before using? I have a cookie making day on Sunday and was hoping to prep the dough a few days early but wasn’t sure if it would impact the crinkle if I do not bake them right away?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 14, 2018 at 2:38 pm

        Hi Lisha – I haven’t tried it, but you should be fine to make the dough a few days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. I don’t think it will impact the crinkle at all. Let me know how it goes. Happy holidays!

        Reply
    5. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

      December 13, 2016 at 8:45 pm

      I must send this recipe to a Black Forest obsessed friend of mine. She’d love them. I also just bought some dried Bing cherries! 😀

      Reply
    6. Brenda

      December 14, 2015 at 6:44 pm

      Made these today and turned out terrific. I found that the dough was sticky when rolling so I found it easier to roll 12 cookies, each time placing in the granular sugar, then once all sitting in the granular sugar coat and then move over to the powdered sugar. I only needed to cook for 12 minutes. They are now in the freezer ready for next week.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        December 15, 2015 at 9:42 pm

        Hi Brenda. Thanks for sharing your tip. Glad you enjoyed the cookies.

        Reply
    7. Lindsay

      April 26, 2013 at 6:47 am

      I am thinking of making these for an event in the future. Does anyone know if these freeze well?? They sound delicious!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        April 29, 2013 at 4:15 pm

        Hi Lindsay – I’m sorry I don’t have any experience freezing these. My guess is they would freeze just fine.

        Reply
    8. cindy harris

      December 28, 2010 at 3:30 pm

      Black Forest is my favorite flavor combo. They look delish!

      Reply
    9. Anne

      December 23, 2010 at 11:08 pm

      Oh my goodness! I can practically inhale these – because I love a combo crunchy-soft cookie. Can’t wait to try them! What a great assortment you have here.

      Reply
      • Jane

        December 15, 2022 at 9:49 am

        4 stars
        The above recipe doesn’t have enough liquid. I added three tablespoons of hot water. Two wasn’t enough, but three was slightly too much. Little harder to work with.

        Taste was exceptional!

        Reply
        • Melissa Griffiths

          January 17, 2023 at 3:09 pm

          I assume you just measured you flour a little more heavily than I did, glad you could get them to work out.

          Reply
    « Older Comments

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