Baltimore’s Famous Berger Cookies Copycat Recipe
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With this copycat recipe, you can now have Berger Cookies from your own kitchen in any city. A soft vanilla cookie, topped with a thick fudge-like frosting has long been a cultural icon of Baltimore.
Unless you have some kind of super-human willpower, you’re going to find these cake-like cookies hard to resist. Not only is the soft shortbread cookie melt in your mouth tender but then you have the fudge-like frosting……….and yes, the frosting is supposed to be as thick as the cookie. The cookie and frosting share the spotlight in Baltimore’s famous cookies!
Now, I’ve never been to Baltimore, but I recently found out they have been hiding an oh-so-decadent little secret there for generations; Berger Cookies.
Table of Contents
What Are Berger Cookies?
The Berger cookie’s claim to fame is a thick little soft cookie topped with a generous helping of super sweet chocolate fudge. If you are a cookie lover who also adores fudge you are going to fall in love with the sheer girth of this fudge like frosting that commands attention!
Don’t live in or near Baltimore? No worry, thanks to the team at King Arthur Flour you can find them in your own kitchen! They say they have come up with a Copycat Berger Cookie Recipe that is VERY close to the original.
“While the fudge icing for these cookies is missing the original Berger cookies’ signature taste (think Hostess cupcake icing), we feel its consistency is identical, and its deep chocolate flavor perfect with its vanilla cookie base.” ~King Arthur Flour
The Best Way To Frost Berger Cookies
We took some video with my phone while we were frosting these Berger cookies, so I made a little video to show you how we did it.
Grab An Apron…..we’re going to make Berger Cookies
Baltimore's Famous Berger Cookies Copycat Recipe
A soft vanilla cookie, topped with a thick fudge-like frosting has long been a cultural icon of Baltimore.
Ingredients
For Cookies
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup milk
For Frosting
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
To Make Cookies- Heat oven to 400°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, beat butter, salt, vanilla, and baking powder until well combined. Add sugar then egg and continue beating.
- Slowly add 1/3 of the flour then 1/2 the milk. Gently beating continue adding remaining flour, and milk alternating just until combined. Do not over beat.
- Drop tablespoon size dollops of cookie dough on prepared pan, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Flatten each cookie with a greased or wet bottom of a glass, yielding a circle about 1-1/2 inches across.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly brown on bottom (no color change on top of cookie). Do not over bake, these are soft cookies. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes on pan, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Working quickly dip the flat bottom of cooled cookies into frosting (your hands are going to get messy here). Make sure to give the cookie a good coating of frosting and set on parchment paper, frosting side up. After all cookies have been dipped, spread remaining frosting evenly atop the cookies. The frosting should be as thick as the cookie. Allow to set (we thought they were best after setting several hours)
- Store in a single layer in an airtight container.
Have you ever had an original Berger Cookie?
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love these! pinned!!
Hi Cheryl! I was born and raised in Baltimore and still live in Maryland – my husband LOVES Berger cookies! So excited to try these! Thanks for sharing the recipe (they look absolutely awesome, by the way) and pinning! Have a happy Monday!
I’ve heard about these, but have never had them. I can definitely see why everyone loves them!! That frosting, though… I’d eat it by the spoonfuls!!
I have never had one before – but they look fabulous. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try Cheryl.
Love that thick layer of fudge frosting!
These cookies looks delicious…and love that video too!
These cookies look totally irresistible! I want to stop everything and bake them now!
My family would love these cookies! So awesome!
Oh my goodness these look AMAZING! I want one now!
You have no idea as to how much I want one of these!!
My husband is from Baltimore but never heard of these cookies. He now lives in Connecticut and I promised to make them for him. Thank you for sharing.
Oh my, they look delicious!
I blame you for all my cookie cravings.
This got my attention! Yum…I’m saving this one! Oh, and your photos look like something in a food magazine. Great job!
~Kim
yum! I love Berger cookies!! Definitely trying this recipe. Pinned!
Guess what?!? I am going to Baltimore in October, to help with a new grandchild, and I am going to hunt these down…when I’m not changing diapers, haha! Great timing…and then with your recipe I can make my own. 🙂
first of all CONGRATS on the new baby!! let me know how the originals compare if you make them too 😉
I’ve never heard of a Berger cookie, but these look absolutely delicious. Pinning to try!
OMG. I haven’t seen these cookies in years. As a little girl we had a german neighbor who used to always make these for us but would never give us the recipe. I cannot believe I found this recipe. You have a NEW follower for life!!! :):)
We are from the Baltimore area but no longer live there. I can’t wait to try this recipe to see if it comes close. We miss Berger’s.
Baltimore girl born and raised. I’ve made this recipe before,they are tasty
yummy that cookies
Oh, I just saw my comment never submitted properly last time. I meant to say that the cookies, while tasty, are not at all close to the originals. I am still looking for that perfect match. 😀
Born and was raised in maryland. I made these tonight and I hate to say it they tastep nothing like berger cookies. I was sadly dissapointed 🙁 even the frosting was way off
I’ve never had the original, but we loved this cookie
This cookie is not close to the original, it’s the frosting that is really off. I think maybe milk chocolate might have been better. My husband is from Baltimore and I had some originals here so was sad that it was not like the original but I appreciate sharing a recipe, just wouldn’t call these copycats.