Chocolate Bourbon Cherry Cookie Recipe

Sometimes, life sets up almost impossible choices. Like at the end of a long day when you feel you have earned yourself a little treat, should you sit back and enjoy a tasty baked goodie or two, or instead indulge in a glass of bourbon? Chef and recipe developer Jessica Morone of Jess Loves Cooking doesn't see any reason you should have to choose between the two, not when you can combine them so beautifully into a batch of cookies. These chocolatey, cherry, and bourbon-infused cookies bring together flavors you might never have thought to blend, but you'll be ever so glad you did. And what's even sweeter here is the fact that you can make a batch in about a half-hour, not counting a bit of time to let the cookies cool.

In case you were concerned, don't worry — all the booze in the bourbon cooks off, so these are family-friendly. And what's more, that means you can still have that glass of whiskey along with your cookies if it's the kind of day that calls for a drink and a sweet. As measured out here, this recipe will make a full three dozen cookies, so don't hesitate to share some of that sweetness around, either. Cheers!

To bake up a batch of these bourbon-infused, cherry-laden cookies, you'll need a cup of dried tart cherries, a half-cup of bourbon (that's four ounces, for the record, or two large shots), a cup of butter, fully softened at room temperature, plenty of granulated sugar, a couple of eggs, cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.

It's your call on what bourbon you use, but know that you really can't go wrong: even a lower-cost bottle will still impart plenty of delicious flavor — just don't go off the rails with some flavored whiskey, as the balance here is already ideal.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the cup of dried cherries and the four ounces of bourbon and stir and level to make sure as many as possible are submerged in the liquor. Now warm the bowl in the microwave at normal heat for one minute, then let it sit for 15 minutes. 

After the 15 have elapsed, minutes remove the cherries and place them into a separate bowl, and then reserve one teaspoon of the liquid left behind, which will be positively loaded with flavor at this point.

Meanwhile, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened, room-temperature butter, and the sugar and mix them until the combination grows fluffy. You can use a stand mixer, but it won't take long using a stiff whisk or a fork and mixing by hand.

Next, add in the eggs and that remaining teaspoon of bourbon and cherry liquid to the bowl and mix thoroughly, combining everything. Then add the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt, and again mix until all the ingredients are well-combined. Now gently fold the cherries into the batter, combining just enough to spread them evenly throughout.

Once the cookie dough is finished, it's time to scoop dough balls out onto baking sheets. Ideally, you can use an ice cream scoop that will create spheres of dough just a bit bigger than one inch in diameter, but a regular spoon and some shaping by hand works too. Use a non-stick baking sheet, parchment paper, or a regular baking sheet lightly greased to prevent the cookies from sticking.  

Now pop the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, watching to make sure they don't start to burn. Then retrieve the cookies and let them cool completely. And then enjoy!

On the off chance you have many left, you can store them in an airtight container for about a week.