I am not sure if people from outside of Germany really know one of our most popular cakes: Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte aka. Black Forest Cake. It’s an all-time classic in traditional coffee shops – not talking about Starbucks here – I mean real coffee houses with nice cakes and sweet tarts ;)
I have to be honest – Black Forest Cake is a bit outdated, cause it is a really heavy piece of cake – loads of chocolate, cherries, kirschwasser and tons of whipped cream. People prefer now lighter and a bit healthier cakes, but I still like it once in a while in small quantities… it is really some heavy shit ;)
Anyways – I decided to make my own Black Forest Cake inspired bake to have all the flavors but not all of the calories. The result? Black Forest Cherry Cookies! Good idea, right? ;)
The original Black Forest Cake is made with delicious chocolate cake layers which are brushed with Kirschwasser aka. cherry liquor, topped with a cherry filling and loads of whipped cream. The whole cake is actually coated with whipped cream and some chocolate as well. It’s a carb-fat-bomb! Well… but it’s nice from time to time. For these cookies, I skipped the whipped cream and mixed the cherries with the chocolate cake and also some Kirschwasser. Of course. Would never skip that one ;P
So what can you expect? Delicious cookies with a crunchy exterior and a soft center. So good. And they really taste like the Black Forest Cake – just without the whipped cream :P
I used fresh cherries here, cause you can get them everywhere right now. If you want to make these cookies some other time of the year, you can also use frozen cherries or the ones they sell in glasses – both works fine.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
1/2 cup (120g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. Kirschwasser
1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup (40g) cocoa powder
2/3 cup (100g) chocolate chips
1 cup (150g) cherries, pitted and diced
120g weiche Butter
200g brauner Zucker
1 Ei (L)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1 EL Kirschwasser
160g Mehl (Type 405)
1/2 TL Backpulver
1/4 TL Salz
40g Kakao
100g Schokoladendrops (Zartbitter)
150g Kirschen, entsteint und gewürfelt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix in until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and kirschwasser and mix in. Mix the flour with baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add gradually to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and diced cherry and fold in. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to place dough balls on the baking sheet – make sure you leave enough space in between. Bake for 14-16 minutes. The edges should look crisp, but the center should still be a bit soft. Do not overbake! Take out of the oven and let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet until you can move them, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely.
2. Die Butter mit dem Zucker in einer großen Schüssel auf höchster Stufe hell und luftig aufschlagen. Das Ei zugeben und so lange aufschlagen, bis eine cremige Masse entsteht. Vanille Extrakt und Kirschwasser zugeben und unterrühren. Das Mehl mit dem Backpulver, Salz und Kakao vermischen und dann nach und nach dazugeben und nur kurz unterrühren. Die Schokoladendrops und gewürfelten Kirschen unter den Teig heben. Mit einem Eisportionierer oder Esslöffel Teigportionen mit genügend Abstand auf das Blech setzen und dann für 14-16 Minuten backen. Die Ränder können schon durchgebacken sein, aber die Mitte sollte noch weich sein. Aus dem Ofen nehmen, für kurze Zeit auf dem Blech abkühlen lassen und dann auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Black Forrest Cookies
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 16
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
Delicious chocolate cookies with cherries and a hint of Kirschwasser.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. Kirschwasser
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup (40g) cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup (100g) chocolate chips
- 1 cup (150g) cherries, pitted and diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Wash, pit and dice the cherries.
- In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix in until creamy. Add the vanilla extract and kirschwasser and mix in. Mix the flour with baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add gradually to the bowl and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and diced cherry and fold in. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to place dough balls on the baking sheet – make sure you leave enough space in between. Bake for 14-16 minutes. The edges should look crisp, but the center should still be a bit soft. Do not overbake! Take out of the oven and let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet until you can move them, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
