Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Name: Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 1 cookie
Ingredients: 1 cup Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix; ⅓ cup cocoa powder; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅓ cup butter, softened; 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional, enhances the cherry); 1 egg; ⅔ cup dried cherries, chopped if large; 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, white or semi-sweet

on Nov 17 2025

Table of Contents

Deep chocolate meets sweet-tart cherries in these soft, festive gluten-free chocolate cherry cookies. A cocoa-rich dough studded with dried cherries and chocolate chips, white or semi-sweet, your call, they are an easy drop cookie that looks and tastes like the holidays, though they are worth baking all year. Made with our Baking & Pancake Mix, they come together in minutes, and no one will guess they are gluten-free. Deliciously gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time about 27 minutes

Serving Size 1 cookie

Ingredients

1 cup Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
⅓ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional, enhances the cherry)
1 egg
⅔ cup dried cherries, chopped if large
3 tablespoons chocolate chips, white or semi-sweet

Shop Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 4 lb.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the Baking & Pancake Mix, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters on high until well blended. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and egg, and beat well. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry mixture and beat just until combined. Fold in the dried cherries and chocolate chips.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets (insulated sheets work best), in the top third of the oven. Flatten each slightly with the round end of the tablespoon, the way you would a peanut butter cookie. Bake about 12 minutes, until just set. They will be crinkly and a little odd-shaped, which is exactly right.
Cool the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then move the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
To keep it gluten-free: Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix is GFCO-certified gluten-free, so these are rich, chewy cookies with no gluten. Use gluten-free chocolate chips too.

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Recipe Tips & Notes

Variations

White chocolate cherry: use white chocolate chips. The sweet white chocolate is a favorite with tart cherries.
Chocolate-covered-cherry (cordial): use well-drained, patted-dry, chopped maraschino cherries in place of the dried, for a chocolate-covered-cherry flavor.
Double chocolate: add extra chocolate chips, or use dark chocolate for a deeper, dark-chocolate-cherry cookie.
Chocolate cherry blossoms: press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie right out of the oven.
Fresh or frozen cherries: these add moisture, so pat them very dry and chop them, and expect a softer, more spread-out cookie. Dried cherries give the best texture here.
Eggless: use your favorite egg replacer.

Make ahead & storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze baked cookies, or scoop and freeze the dough, for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough straight from the freezer, adding a minute or two.

Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 4 lb.

We've Got Answers

Dried cherries give the best chewy texture and are what this recipe uses. For a chocolate-covered-cherry flavor, use well-drained, chopped maraschino cherries. Fresh or frozen cherries add moisture, so pat them dry and expect a softer, more spread-out cookie.

Pull them when they are just set, at about 12 minutes, and let them finish setting on the pan. They firm up as they cool, so a slightly underbaked center keeps them chewy.

Chill the dough about 30 minutes before baking, and measure the mix by spooning and leveling. A little spread and a crinkly top are normal for these cookies.

Can I use white chocolate chips?

Yes. They are made with Pamela's GFCO-certified Baking & Pancake Mix. Use gluten-free chocolate chips as well.

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