Decadent Black Forest Cookie Cups: An Easy Recipe for a Gourmet Dessert

Indulge in the rich, classic flavors of Black Forest in a delightful bite-sized treat! These Black Forest Cookie Cups feature a perfectly soft-baked chocolate cookie base, generously filled with a fluffy chocolate mousse, and crowned with a vibrant cherry pie filling, fresh whipped cream, and delicate chocolate shavings. They offer all the elegance of a gourmet dessert with a surprisingly simple preparation.

There’s something truly satisfying about presenting a dessert that looks like it took hours of painstaking effort, when in reality, it was a breeze to put together. If you’re anything like me, you adore the idea of fancy, impressive treats that don’t demand an entire day in the kitchen. These Black Forest Cookie Cups fit that description perfectly. Your friends will be convinced you’re a pastry chef, but it’ll be our little secret just how easy these elegant cookie cups truly are!

The Inspiration Behind These Irresistible Cookie Cups

If you’ve visited my site before, you might be familiar with what I affectionately call “cream pie cookie cups.” They’re a staple here, often starting with a delectable crust made from, you guessed it, more cookies! My Chocolate Cream Pie Cookie Cups became such a sensation that they sparked the idea for this incredible Black Forest rendition. The concept of a tender cookie base cradling a rich, creamy filling is simply irresistible, and it translates beautifully into the beloved Black Forest flavor profile.

Crafting the Perfect Soft Chocolate Cookie Base

The foundation of these Black Forest Cookie Cups is a wonderfully rich chocolate cookie that remains incredibly soft, even after being refrigerated. This delightful texture is partly thanks to a secret ingredient: dry pudding mix added directly into the cookie dough. For a truly deep, intense chocolate flavor, I always reach for Hershey’s Special Dark pudding mix and a high-quality dark chocolate cocoa powder. As a self-proclaimed dark chocolate enthusiast, this combination creates an unparalleled richness that perfectly complements the cherry and cream. However, if you can’t find the Special Dark variety, regular chocolate pudding mix will work just fine and still yield delicious results.

When preparing the cookie dough, it’s important to combine the wet and dry ingredients carefully. After creaming the butter and sugars, and incorporating the eggs and vanilla, you’ll gradually add your dry mixture of flour, cocoa powder, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. If your dough seems a little dry, a tablespoon or two of milk can help bring it to the perfect consistency. This ensures your cookies bake up tender and moist, ready to hold their delicious fillings.

The Luxurious Chocolate Mousse Filling

The star filling for these cookie cups is a light and airy chocolate mousse. It’s surprisingly simple to make, requiring just a few key ingredients: instant chocolate pudding mix, milk, and homemade whipped cream. Again, I highly recommend Hershey’s Special Dark pudding mix for that extra depth of flavor, but any chocolate pudding mix will do the trick. The key to a truly decadent mousse lies in the whipped cream.

To make the perfect homemade whipped cream, start with a well-chilled bowl and whisk – popping them in the freezer for about 10 minutes beforehand works wonders! Whip heavy cream on medium-high speed until it becomes bubbly, then gradually add powdered sugar. The powdered sugar not only sweetens the cream but also helps stabilize it, ensuring your mousse holds its shape beautifully. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, indicating a perfectly airy texture. Once your whipped cream is ready, gently fold it into the prepared chocolate pudding mixture. I also like to mix in some finely shaved chocolate at this stage, because let’s be honest, more chocolate is always a good idea! The key is to fold gently to maintain the mousse’s light, airy consistency.

For easy filling, transfer the mousse into a Ziploc bag and snip off a corner. This allows for precise and mess-free piping into each cookie cup. You’ll notice the recipe calls for using only a portion of a standard pudding mix package for the mousse. This is intentional; using a full package would result in an abundance of leftover mousse – not necessarily a bad problem to have, as it’s delicious on its own or with fruit, but this amount ensures a perfect ratio for the cookie cups.

Baking and Shaping Your Cookie Cups

These Black Forest Cookie Cups are designed to be baked in a regular-sized muffin pan, as they accommodate a generous amount of filling. However, if you’re looking for miniature treats, a mini muffin pan works just as well. After baking your chocolate cookies for about 18-20 minutes at 350°F, they may slightly deflate in the middle as they cool – this is exactly what we want! This natural indentation creates the perfect cavity for our delicious fillings. To ensure a uniform cup shape, I use a tart shaper to gently press down the centers of the warm cookies. If you don’t have a tart shaper, the back of a small spoon or even the back of a cookie scoop works beautifully to create that ideal hollow.

The Finishing Touch: Cherry Pie Filling and Whipped Cream

The final layers are perhaps the easiest, yet they bring these Black Forest Cookie Cups to life. Once your cookies are filled with the luscious chocolate mousse, a spoonful of canned cherry pie filling is dolloped on top. While you could make your own cherry filling, a good quality canned version makes this dessert incredibly convenient without sacrificing flavor. The bright, tart cherries provide a wonderful contrast to the rich chocolate and creamy mousse.

Finally, a swirl of the remaining homemade whipped cream completes the picture. A final sprinkle of chocolate shavings adds an extra touch of elegance and texture. I’ll admit, I was a relative newcomer to the world of Black Forest desserts, but after creating my Black Forest Poke Cake, I completely understood the universal adoration for this classic flavor combination. The marriage of deep chocolate, sweet and tart cherries, and light cream is truly magical, and these cookie cups capture that magic in every bite.

There is so much to love in these Black Forest Cookie Cups. They are not only a feast for the eyes but also a delightful treat for the palate, offering a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Plus, they are incredibly adaptable – feel free to experiment with other pie fillings if cherries aren’t your favorite, though for a true “Black Forest” experience, cherries are a must!

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Yield: 24 Cookie Cups

Black Forest Cookie Cups

These Black Forest Cookie Cups are a soft baked chocolate cookie filled with chocolate mousse and cherry pie filling. All topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings. An easy and impressive gourmet dessert!

Prep Time
30 minutes

Cook Time
18 minutes

Ingredients

For the cookies
1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted butter, softened
1 C Granulated Sugar
¾ C Brown sugar, packed
2 Large eggs
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2¼ C All-purpose flour
1 pkg Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4oz, unprepared)
¼ C Dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Salt
2 tbsp Milk
For the mousse & topping
2 C Heavy whipping cream, very cold
1 C Powdered sugar
¼ C Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4oz, unprepared)
1/2 C Milk
1/4 C Chocolate shavings, plus extra for garnish
½ can Cherry pie filling (21 oz can)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F (175°C). Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or Crisco.
Combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in your stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, dry pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet batter, beating on low speed until dough starts to form. If dough is a little dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until just combined.
Drop 3 tablespoons of dough into each greased muffin cup and bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes. Cookies may deflate in the middle when cooling, which is perfect for forming cups!
Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes. Use a tart shaper or the back of a spoon to gently push down the middle of the warm cookies, creating a cavity. Allow to cool completely in the pan for another 30 minutes. You may need to run a knife around the edge of the cookies to help release them.
For the Mousse: Put a large mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes until completely cold.
Whip very cold heavy cream on medium-high speed for several minutes until bubbly.
Add powdered sugar and beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate whipped cream.
In a separate bowl, combine ¼ C instant chocolate pudding mix with ½ C milk. Whisk vigorously for 2 minutes until powder dissolves and pudding is very thick. Refrigerate until firm (5-10 minutes).
Take 1 cup of the prepared whipped cream and gently fold into the thickened pudding along with 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate shavings. Do not mix vigorously as it will deflate the whipped cream. Refrigerate mousse until you are ready to assemble cookies.
To assemble the cookies, put the mousse in a Ziploc bag (or piping bag). Cut off one corner and gently fill the middle of each cookie cup with mousse up to the top.
Use a spoon and place 2-3 cherries (from the cherry pie filling) on top of the mousse in each cup.
Add a spoonful of the leftover plain whipped cream on top of the cherries. Garnish with additional chocolate shavings.
Cookies must be refrigerated in an airtight container after the mousse has been added. Serve chilled.

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If you enjoyed these Black Forest Cookie Cups, you might also like these delightful treats:

Peppermint Cream Pie Cookie Cups

Coconut Cream Pie Cookie Cups

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Melted Peppermint Patty Cookies

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