These ancho chili chocolate cherry cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with a chewy texture and rich chocolate flavour.
Are you ready for a new twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie? It’s time to take your baking game up a notch with these Ancho Chili Chocolate Cherry Cookies – an absolutely unique and delicious combination of tastes that will make any mouth water!
Not only do these cookies have all of the traditional chocolate chip cookie ingredients like sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and of course chocolate chips, but they also add complexity through extra spices and dried cherries.
These little bites are packed full of flavour – from sweet notes contributed by delectable dark cherries to sultry smoky chili pepper tingles; this is one cookie that won’t fail to please.
Whether you’re baking them in anticipation of company arriving or want something decadent just for yourself, you can trust that once your loved ones take their first bite they’ll be coming back for more!
Tips for the BEST Spiced Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- When measuring out your flour make sure you spoon and level it to avoid dense cookies.
- Do not over mix your cookie dough or the cookies will be dense.
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure your cookies are equally sized and bake evenly.
- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for more consistent results.
- Oven temperatures and bake times will vary. They are ready when the cookies start to crack slightly.
- If you have a food scale on hand, I like to weigh the cookies to 3.5oz that way I know they will bake evenly
- Make sure your cherries are fully dried to avoid a sticky mess with the dough.
How to Store Spiced Chocolate Cherry Cookies
The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. If you need to store them longer, I would recommend freezing.
You can freeze the dough to bake later. Simply allow the dough to come to room temperature before you bake.
You can also freeze the baked cookies for longer storage. To do this, you want to partially freeze them for about an hour in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. This helps ensure that the cookies don’t stick to each other. Wrap each cookie with plastic wrap, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag.
About the Ingredients for Ancho Chili Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Butter – Using unsalted butter and then adding salt gives you the best control over the amount of salt in the recipe. You can use salted butter if you prefer but you will want to halve the additional salt.
Sugar – Just plain old white granulated sugar, and some light brown sugar for just the right amount of sweetness. Make sure you pack the brown sugar when measuring.
Eggs – It is best if you use room temperature eggs.
Cocoa powder – Make sure you are using unsweetened cocoa powder, and not hot chocolate mix. I used Hershey’s dark cocoa powder.
Flour – If you don’t have any cake flour on hand you can use all-purpose flour with cornstarch to achieve the fluffiness that cake flour gives this cake. To make your own cake flour substitute, measure out your flour, then remove 1 Tablespoon. Add back in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Then sift your flour twice over so it is nice and fluffy like cake flour. Ready to use! Spoon and level both of the flours when measuring it, otherwise you’ll wind up with a dense cake.
Cornstarch – Helps make the cookies super tender.
Baking Soda – To leaven your cookies, so they are nice and fluffy. Make sure it is still active for best results!
Salt – Makes all the ingredients shine, if you use salted butter you may want to use only half of the salt.
Spices – Cayenne powder, ancho chili powder, and ground cinnamon combine to spice these chocolate cookies.
Chocolate chips – Semisweet chocolate chips are best but dark chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips can work too.
Maraschino cherries – You can also use fresh or frozen and thawed cherries instead and just follow the same directions.
Looking for More Chocolate Cookie Recipes?
Check out more of my favourite chocolate cookie recipes!
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Love the soft and chewy Crumbl Cookies and Cream Milkshake cookies? Here’s how to make them at home with our copycat recipe!
How to Make Ancho Chili Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Yields: 18 Cookies | Prep time: 10 Minutes | Cook time: 11 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup cake flour
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup maraschino cherries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop the cherries and place on a paper towel lined plate. Lightly squeeze the moisture out of the cherries with the paper towels.
Uncover the cherries and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the cherries in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set to the side.
Preheat the oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two to three baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a large bowl add cocoa, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, cayenne, ancho chili, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Set the mixer on low and begin to add the dry mixture 1 cup at a time, and continue to stir on low until the dough is just combined.
Add the chocolate chips and diced cherries to the dough. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Cover the dough and place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
Measure out about 3.5 oz of dough ( an ice cream scoop size ) and roll into a ball.
Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for about 10-11 minutes. Remove and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ancho Chili Chocolate Cherry Cookies
These ancho chili chocolate cherry cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with a chewy texture and rich chocolate flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Chop the cherries and place on a paper towel lined plate. Lightly squeeze the moisture out of the cherries with the paper towels.
- Uncover the cherries and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the cherries in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set to the side.
- Preheat the oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two to three baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- In a large bowl add cocoa, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, cayenne, ancho chili, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Set the mixer on low and begin to add the dry mixture 1 cup at a time, and continue to stir on low until the dough is just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and diced cherries to the dough. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Cover the dough and place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
- Measure out about 3.5 oz of dough ( an ice cream scoop size ) and roll into a ball.
- Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-11 minutes. Remove and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Liz Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys cooking and baking, food photography, and reading.