Sweeten Up Your Week with Chewy Vegan Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When it comes to vegan baking, things can get tricky in the cookie department.

I have tried my hand at it several times and the results have been varied, from horrible disasters to pure perfection, like this recipe.

Vertical image of three homemade vegan cookies in the foreground with more in the background around a square clear glass of milk with a white and red straw, on a gathered and folded light brown piece of burlap with dark chocolate chunks scattered on top of it, on a dark brown wood table, printed with orange and white text.

It can be difficult to find an ideal cookie recipe in general, so when you find it, you cling to it like crazy.

Now, you no longer have to worry about finding the perfect recipe, because you have this one. Your search is over!

These cookies are big and chewy, with delightfully sweet bites of chocolate and cherries studded throughout.

The best part is, whether you are vegan or not, you are going to love every bite of these delicious baked treats.

Cookies are one of those desserts that I will always turn to before asking for cake, brownies, or any other dessert. They are wonderful for lifting spirits, and satisfying a sweet tooth.

Overhead shot of vegan dark chocolate chunk and cherry cookies on a folded and gathered piece of burlap, with a glass of milk, on a dark brown wood surface.

I absolutely adore the combination of chocolate and cherries. It brings back memories of my grandfather, who used to have chocolate covered cherries in the house all the time.

I’m not talking about maraschino cherries, which tend to be a bit too sweet, in my humble opinion (though they can be nice if you make your own at home with fresh fruit). I’m talking about the rich and sweet dried tart cherries, with the bit of tanginess to them.

Honestly, I have no idea where my grandfather found the little confections every week. I suspect it was a small bakery and candy shop that has long since closed… Alas, I cannot seem to find these fresh chocolate-covered bites of joy anywhere.

So, I started buying chocolate-covered dried cherries on the regular from the grocery store to get my fix. The flavors are still delightful, and that’s exactly why this recipe is such a serious winner in my book.

You get bursts of the tart and sweet cherries, combined with the taste of melt-in-your-mouth slightly bitter dark chocolate. Each cookie is a mouthful of delicious.

No longer will you be craving the typical chocolate chip cookie once you make these for yourself. Instead, you’ll be reaching for this recipe.

Oblique shot of a small stack of homemade vegan cookies in the foreground with two more beside a glass of milk with a red and white striped straw in the background, on a folded and gathered piece of light brown burlap with chocolate chunks scattered across the surface, on a dark brown wood table.

You will always have time to make this recipe, because it is so easy. No electric mixers needed, just a couple of bowls and a whisk. You don’t even have to worry about the strange vegan ingredients and substitutes you usually run into. No palm oil, margarine, or egg replacers required.

Most likely, you already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry right now.

The main thing to remember is that you have to let the dough rest before you bake. You can either leave it at room temperature for an hour, or you can make the dough and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours to bake at a later time.

Don’t have dried cherries on hand? You can easily use chopped dried apricots instead, as a substitute.

It’s crazy how amazing these vegan cookies are when compared to traditional chocolate chip cookies. You might not go back to a traditional recipe, even if you are a lover of dairy and eggs.

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A cluster of three homemade vegan cookies is in the foreground with four more in the background among scattered chocolate chunks on a folded and gathered piece of burlap spread over a dark brown wood surface.

Vegan Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies


  • Author: Meghan Yager
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 24 minutes
  • Yield: 20-24 cookies 1x

Description

Brighten up your week with a vegan cherry chocolate chunk cookie. Like your favorite candy, in the form of a soft and delicious baked good.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 6 Tbsp water, room temp
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup dried cherries
  • 1 cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
  2. In a separate large bowl, combine brown sugar, coconut oil, water, almond butter, and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined.
  3. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate and dried cherries.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Or, refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before portioning the dough.
  5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Make balls of dough, about 3 tablespoons each, and place on the prepared sheets about 2 inches apart.
  6. Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for about 12-14 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown.
  7. Let cool completely on the cookie sheet.
  8. Store at room temperature in airtight containers for up to 3 days.

Notes

Adapted from Not Without Salt.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 14 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Dessert

Keywords: vegan desserts, vegan, chocolate chip, cherry, cookie

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Chop Chocolate and Measure Ingredients

Roughly chop dark chocolate until you have 1 cup in total. It took roughly one 3.5-ounce dark chocolate bar for me to get this amount, maybe a little more.

Make sure that your dark chocolate is at least 65% cacao.

Try your hand at making the chocolate from scratch with our easy recipe for vegan dark chocolate chunks!

Step 2 – Combined Dry and Wet Ingredients

A wire whisk stirs a dry flour mixer in a stainless steel mixing bowl with a ring handle, on a dark brown wood surface.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl.

Overhead closely cropped shot of packed brown sugar, almond butter, oil, and other ingredients in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

Whisk to combine.

A wire whisk stirs an almond butter mixture in a stainless steel bowl, on a dark brown wood surface.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, coconut oil, water, almond butter, and vanilla until combined.

Step 3 – Make Dough

A red rubber spatula with a silver metal handle stirs a dry flour mixture into a wet mixture in a stainless steel bowl, on a dark brown wood surface.

Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

A red slotted rubber spoon stirs a light brown batter mixture in a stainless steel bowl, on a dark brown wood table.

Do not over mix.

A red rubber slotted spoon with a metal handle is stirring a tan batter with two piles of dark chocolate chunks and dried cherries on top, in a stainless steel mixing bowl, on a dark brown wood surface.

Fold in chocolate and dried cherries.

A red slotted rubber utensil stirs a dough mixture studded with dried cherries and chocolate chunks in a stainless steel mixing bowl, on a dark brown wood surface.

Again, stir these in until just combined, to avoid overworking the dough.

Step 4 – Let Rest

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.

You can also refrigerate the dough for 24 hours. You will need to let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before portioning the dough if you do this.

Step 5 – Bake

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Form balls of dough with 3 tablespoons of dough each. Place on baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Oblique shot of eight balls of cookie dough arranged in rows on a holiday-themed Silpat silicone pan liner printed with a red border and red snowflakes on a white background, set into a rimmed metal baking sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, for 12-4 minutes. The edges will be set and golden brown, and the centers will still be soft.

Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Overhead shot of six cookies on a red and white holiday-themed Silpat silicone pan liner with a holiday theme.

Place in airtight containers to store for up to 3 days.

Can’t Get Enough Cherries?

Cherries are one of those fruits that I can eat year round without any trouble. Whether they are fresh or frozen, dried or ripe, there are infinite creative and new ways to use this fruit.

A cluster of three homemade vegan cookies is in the foreground with four more in the background among scattered chocolate chunks on a folded and gathered piece of burlap spread over a dark brown wood surface.

If you need more vegan cookie goodness in your life, check out some of our recipes that you can indulge in all year long:

Which of these recipes do you want to make first (after you make these cookies, of course)? Tell us in the comments below, and come back to rate this cookie recipe once you make it.

Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on December 4, 2012. Last updated: December 30, 2021 at 17:47 pm.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Meghan Yager

Meghan Yager is a food addict turned food and travel writer with a love for creating uncomplicated, gourmet recipes and devouring anything the world serves up. As the author of the food and travel blog Cake 'n Knife, Meghan focuses on unique foodie experiences from around the world to right at home in your own kitchen.

18 thoughts on “Sweeten Up Your Week with Chewy Vegan Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies”

  1. yummm!! on my Christmas baking list for sure 🙂 I’ll need to try subbing the wheat flour for rice flour… as much as I hate fiddling with cookie perfection!

    Reply
  2. This look so great! Promise I’ll add them to my list! 🙂

    We got our tree yesterday – and it was EIGHTY degrees here in TX!

    Reply
  3. Housemate and I just whipped these up and are using their brief cooking time as motivation to finish some work-related tasks… used rye flour as the “whole” flour, fingers crossed it works ok.

    Reply
      • They were good, I love the chewy texture! Only problem was that I didn’t totally listen to your “leave 2-3 inches” between cookies instructions, and boy do these SPREAD. Ended up with some large, fused cookies. But, delicious, and rye flour worked! Also used chili chocolate instead of plain, which added a great kick. Would definitely make them again.

        Reply
  4. I can attest to the amazingness of these cookies. SO good. I agree, I always look forward to Ashley’s posts for her great writing and the fact that she shares tried and true recipes. Her cookies are a force to be reckoned with. Thanks for reminding me to make a batch of these for our decorating time this weekend!!

    Reply
  5. This cookie recipe is a good addition to my table this coming holiday. Food and the Christmas decoration is very important to make the holiday really special. Thanks for sharing this chocolate chip cookie recipe to us.

    Reply
  6. Now it reminds me of Christmas. How I wish that time comes that me and hubby will finally spend Christmas together with our kids.

    Reply
    • I would recommend using peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter as a substitute for almond butter! Vegan butter won’t give you the right consistency.

      Reply

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