Black forest cherry cake cookies

When life doesn't give you birthday cake... You turn your favourite cake into a cookie

I turned 37 this July, which means I’ve indulged in at least two dozen Black Forest Cherry Cakes as my birthday cake of choice over the years. Some were truly authentic, while others were less so—but I love Black Forest Cherry Cake in all its glorious forms.

For the past seven years, my go-to has been Wanda’s Pie in the Sky in Kensington Market (you do need to special order it). Their kirsch-soaked cherries add the perfect contrast to the chocolate sponge, and the dark chocolate shavings on the airy whipped cream create an incredible mix of textures. The cake itself seems to defy gravity and physics: the layers stay together by sheer magic and willpower, while each bite melts in your mouth.

Pro tip: If you’re hosting a big party with 25 guests but still want plenty of cake leftover, order a 10” cake. Trust me, the birthday girl was not mad about this. Yes, I was the birthday girl.

This year, though, in a series of unfortunate events, my birthday cake order got missed, so we had my birthday dinner without it. There wasn’t a good time after that to gather people for a full cake, and while I was tempted to order one just for 2.5 of us (Quinn does not like cake - any cake - don’t get me started), I couldn’t quite justify it.

In the grand scheme of things, missing out on birthday cake isn’t a big deal. But the craving for Black Forest Cherry Cake was unrelenting. I started looking for alternatives that weren’t as much of a commitment as a whole cake: eclairs, cream puffs, brownies, cookies? Which brings us to today’s recipe.

The cookies

When you first bite into this cookie, the soft texture gives way to the ephemeral yet distinct kirsch notes, and the depth of chocolate is cut with tangy cherry. It’s everything I love about Black Forest Cherry cake, all in one cookie.

These cookies are soft and cakey in the center, with a slight crispness around the edges. They are packed with a mix of dried cherries, kirsch-marinated sour cherries, and plenty of dark chocolate. I use black cocoa here, because I love the uncomplicated chocolate flavour it lends to cookies (I adore Oreo cookies, just hold the cream please), which lets the kirsch really shine.

A few notes about the recipe

left: sour cherries in syrup; centre: my mixins; right: cookies in tart rings

Kirsch-soaked sour cherries

I bought pitted sour cherries in syrup, and marinated them in kirsch liqueur: simply pour out the syrup and top the cherries with kirsch. Let them soak for at least 24 hours in the fridge, and you’ll have kirsch-soaked sour cherries ready for this recipe, plus any cocktails or mocktails you want to make. They’ll last for 2-3 months in the fridge.

By the way, you don’t need to marinate a whole jar of cherries. Just weigh out the amount you need, transfer them to a mason jar, pour in enough kirsch to cover, and refrigerate.

And if you don’t want to go through the trouble of soaking your sour cherries in kirsch, you can just use them as is. You’ll just have less kirsch flavour in your cookies, because we can’t add too much kirsch to the cookie dough itself without making it too wet.

Why cornstarch?

A wee bit of cornstarch in these cookies helps keep them soft yet chewy. It adds structure without contributing extra gluten, so you get a tender cookie that holds its shape and stays nice and thick even after baking.

Baking cookies in tart rings

I’ve baked these cookies with and without tart rings, and I love both versions. At first, I thought using tart rings was too fussy, since you can easily achieve perfectly round cookies by scooting them with a cookie cutter after baking. But once I tried it, I appreciated how tall and evenly the cookies baked. In the end, it’s mostly an aesthetic choice, so don’t worry if you don’t have tart rings handy!

left: baked in a tart ring; right: baked without a tart ring and then scooted

Black Forest Cherry Cake cookies

This recipe makes 20 cookies, if you’re using a 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop, which is the suggested size.

I hydrate my cookie dough overnight in the fridge before baking. If you don’t want to wait until the next day, let the cookie dough hydrate for at least 3-4 hours.

I give a baking time range of 11 -13 minutes based on how soft you like your cookie to be. I prefer an 11 minute cookie for these Black Forest Cherry Cake cookies, but if you want it slightly firmer, go towards 13 min.

Ingredients:

• 200g cold butter, cubed

• 175g brown sugar

• 75g granulated sugar

• 30g (3.5 tsp) kirsch liqueur

• 2 large eggs

• 325g all-purpose flour

• 15g cornstarch

• 30g black cocoa

• 1.5 tsp baking powder

• 1.5 tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt)

• 150g dried cherries, roughly chopped

• 100g kirsch-soaked sour cherries, halved

• 175g roughly chopped dark chocolate, for the cookie dough

• 100g bigger chunks of dark chocolate, for topping

Instructions:

1. Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, black cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugars: Add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium-low speed for 30 seconds until roughly combined. Scrape down the sides, and mix for another 15 seconds.

3. Add eggs and kirsch: Add the kirsch liqueur and eggs to the stand mixer. Mix on medium-low speed for 30-45 seconds, until just combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.

4. Incorporate dry ingredients: Sift the flour mixture into the stand mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape the sides and especially the bottom of the bowl, then mix for another 15-30 seconds until most of the dry ingredients have combined.

5. Fold in cherries and chocolate: Add the dried cherries, kirsch-soaked cherries, and roughly chopped dark chocolate. Mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be wet and sticky, but that’s normal. The rest in the fridge will help firm things up.

6. Scoop and top: Using a 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop, portion dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top each cookie dough ball with larger chunks of dark chocolate.

7. Refrigerate dough: Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3-4 hours.

8. Preheat oven: The next day, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

9. Prepare tart rings (optional): If using tart rings, spray or butter the sides.

10. Flatten dough: Take each cookie ball and gently flatten between your palms until it resembles a hockey puck. Don’t press too hard and make them too thin, though.

11. Arrange on baking sheet: Place the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. If using tart rings, place them on the sheet with 1 inch of room between each, and place the cookie inside each ring.

12. Bake and cool: Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. Remove from the oven. If you baked without tart rings, use a cookie cutter to gently but quickly scoot the cookies to make them nice and round. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.

13. Transfer to cooling rack: If using tart rings, remove cookies from the rings. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

14. Storage: Keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, to maintain their softness.