Chocolate Cherry or Cherry Chocolate

This started with the trial and error of the best Black Forest Cookie.  This, is the 7th version.  My quest to create a beautiful chocolate cookie that holds a kirsch-marinated cherry well.  I had a delicious one (6th version) that looked like a hockey puck.  I could not post it.

 

Try to find the best large dried cherries you can find.  They can absorb more kirsch.
This recipe is adaptable to the "pan banging" method.  The edge will be crispy and the centre chewy.  If you choose not to "bang", the cookie is still delicious and the edge is slightly less crispy.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 3 tbsp kirsch
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

  1. Early preparation needed: 30 minutes to 24 hours to soak dried cherries in kirsch.  Cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
  2. After the necessary wait period, in your mixer (with paddle attachment), combine the butter and sugars, on low speed, until smooth (approximately 2 minutes).
  3. Add vanilla and egg to the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients.
  5. Gradually, mix these dry ingredients with the creamed mixture, with the mixer on low speed.
  6. Add the plumped cherries, including the remaining liquid, to the mixer and mix.
  7. Follow instructions for My Perfect Cookie.  This dough is slightly sticky.  Feed a small amount of dough into the shaper tube at a time, before tamping with the stick.
  8. After the logs have chilled in the storage tubes for a minimum of 3 hours, take them out of the tubes.
  9. Slice the log into 1/2” thick cookies.
  10. Place the cookies on parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. These cookies spread so best to leave at least 2" between cookies.  Best to have 6 cookies per sheet.
  11. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 13 minutes.  These cookies can be "pan banged" for a crispy edge.  Bang at 9 minutes, and at 11 minutes (2 minutes afterwards) and then baked for another 2 minutes after the second bang.
  12. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to wire racks.