These Cherry Bakewell Cookies are packed with flaked almonds, white chocolate chunks and have a black cherry jam filling! With crisp edges and a soft gooey middle, these cookies will go down a storm with anyone who loves traditional Bakewell tarts.
If fruity flavours are your thing, be sure to check out the other recipes in my “Dessert Cookie Series”: Eton Mess Cookies and Lemon Meringue Cookies.
About these Cherry Bakewell Cookies
- FLAVOUR: lots of almond flavour paired with sweet cherry jam, all wrapped into a buttery cookie. I’ve also added white chocolate chunks for an extra chocolate flavour.
- TEXTURE: the cookies have crisp edges and a soft, jammy middle. The flaked almonds in the cookie dough and sprinkled on top also add a little crunch to each bite.
- EASE: the cookie dough is super quick and easy to make, but it will need to be chilled overnight so it can shaped around the jam filling.
- PERFECT FOR: summer baking, BBQ treats and picnics.
Let’s talk about the cookie dough
The cookie dough will take less than 10 minutes to make and uses the usual ingredients you’ll find in my cookie recipes: melted butter, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs and flour. To give the dough that delicious almond flavour you find in Bakewell tarts, we will add a few extra ingredients:
- Almond extract – half a teaspoon is all that’s needed to give the cookie dough a sweet and nutty almond flavour. Almond extract can be a little difficult to get hold of, so feel free to swap for one whole teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Flaked almonds – folded into the cookie dough to pack in more almond flavour but also to add a little crunch throughout each bite of the cookie. Whole almonds can be used instead, but just roughly chop them up beforehand.
- White chocolate chunks – okay so I know white chocolate isn’t typically found in a Bakewell tart. But it just feels wrong to make a cookie and not have some kind of chocolate chip or chunk! Plus, white chocolate pairs beautifully with the almond and cherry flavours.
The cookie dough will need to be chilled in the fridge overnight to allow the flour to fully hydrate and make the texture firmer. This makes it easier to shape the dough around the cherry jam filling and stop it from leaking out when the cookies are being baked.
Filling the cookies with cherry jam
For the jam filling, I used Bonne Maman’s Black Cherry Conserve which has a delicious, sweet and strong cherry flavour. It worked a treat in this recipe! Remember to keep the jam in the fridge until you need to use it so it’s super cold and as firm as possible.
Before filling the cookies, take the dough out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then scoop up a heaped tablespoon of cookie dough and mould it into a small bowl shape. Fill with a teaspoon of cherry jam and shape the dough around it to make a ball. Repeat to make 12-14 balls of cookie dough in total.
Two tips for the perfect finish!
- Shape the cookies – as soon as the cookies are out of the oven and still warm, spin a round cutter around the cookies to shape them into perfect circles.
- Decorate the top – give the cookies an extra special Bakewell tart-inspired finish by decorating the top with white icing and flaked almonds.
Cherry Bakewell Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 160 g unsalted butter
- 100g white caster sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 0.5 tsp almond extract or you can use vanilla extract
- 275 g self-raising flour
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 100 g flaked almonds
- 100 g white chocolate chopped into small chunks
For the jam filling
- 100 g cherry jam (keep in the fridge) I used Bonne Maman Black Cherry Conserve
For the decoration (optional)
- 50 g icing sugar
- 25 g flaked almonds
Instructions
Start by making the cookie dough
- Place the butter in a large bowl and microwave for 60 seconds or until melted.
- Mix in the caster sugar and light brown sugar.
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk and almond extract.
- Add the flour and salt, then fold together to form a cookie dough.
- Fold in the flaked almonds and white chocolate chunks.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Fill the cookies with cherry jam
- Take the dough out of the fridge for 20 minutes to let it soften at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
- Scoop up a heaped tablespoon of cookie dough and mould it into a small bowl shape. Fill with a teaspoon of cherry jam and shape the dough around it to make a ball. Repeat to make 12-14 balls of cookie dough in total.
Bake and decorate the cookies
- Place 4-5 cookies on each baking sheet, leaving 5cm space between each. Keep the remaining cookie dough balls in the fridge whilst baking in batches to stop them from getting too soft.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden and firm on the outside, but pale and soft in the middle. Leave to cool on the baking tray for 20 minutes.
- To decorate, mix the icing sugar with a few drops of water until it's smooth, pourable but not too runny. If it's too runny, add more icing sugar until it reaches the right consistency. If it's too thick, add a drop more water.
- Top each cookie with a teaspoon of icing and a sprinkle of flaked almonds. Enjoy!
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
I really hope you enjoyed it and I’d also love to hear what you think! Feel free to leave a comment or star rating below, and you can also DM me on Instagram or tag @jessie.bakes.cakes so I can see your delicious cookies.
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Wow, these are delish! And so easy to make. Followed the recipe exactly. Made three batches. One with White choc and homemade cherry jam as in recipe. And one with strawberry choc (Callebaut) and homemade strawberry jam and one more with dark choc and filled with Nutella….i did bake them a few minutes longer for the extra crunch. These will be a staple!
Especially love the tip to use a cookie cutter to shapes them when they come out of the oven. I have nice round and tidy edged cookies. 😉
Thanks so much for your review Mel! I love how you’ve mixed up the flavours, they all sound absolutely delicious!
Hi,
I have printed this recipe out to make them soon, was just wondering if they can be frozen after baking and would they thaw out okay
Thanks Cynthia
Hey Cynthia, yes absolutely you can freeze them after baking. Just wrap them each individually in clingfilm and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature. You can always pop them in the oven after they’ve been defrosted on a low temp for a few minutes just to freshen them up 🙂