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Maraschino cherries bring a lot of moisture, and my first batches spread paper thin. I tested these five times for my niece’s birthday, then updated them with more butter and sugar after readers told me they were too cakey. Every fix came from a real batch in my kitchen or yours. Thick, chewy, pink, and loaded with chocolate chips!
These cookies are SO GOOD! I used cherry juice instead of almond extract and mini white chocolate chips, and made them extra big- 12 cookies a batch. Definitely making these again, boyfriend was obsessed too!
-Jenna
How I Tested These Cherry Cookies
Every year my nieces and nephews pick any cookie they want for their birthday, and I bake it and ship it to them. When one of my nieces picked maraschino cherry cookies, I knew this one would take real testing. Cherries bring a lot of extra moisture.
My first batches spread and baked up paper thin. So I started blotting the cherries on paper towels to pull out as much juice as I could. Then I added flour a little at a time until the dough held its shape. Freezing the dough balls before baking was the last piece, and it kept the cookies thick.
Almond extract was in there from the very first batch, because cherry and almond complement each other. I made five full test batches in all. I even mailed a batch without chocolate chips to my niece, and they arrived soft and perfect!
But the comments told me I wasn’t done. After the recipe went live, a lot of you said your cookies came out dry and cakey. So in December 2024, I updated the recipe with more butter and more sugar. Now they bake up soft and chewy with crisp edges!
These pair well with white chocolate too. If you love that combo, my white chocolate chip cookies are worth a batch.
Key Ingredients for Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Eight ingredients do the heavy lifting here. You’ll find every amount in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives these cookies their thick, chewy structure. Weigh it in grams. Too much flour makes them dry and cakey.
- Cornstarch: A small amount keeps the cookies soft, tender, and a little thicker.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: A full 12 oz bag. Half goes into the dough and the other half gets pressed onto the outside of the dough balls.
- Unsalted butter: Use it at room temperature so it creams with the sugars until fluffy and pale.
- Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and chew, and keeps the cookies from drying out.
- Almond extract: Just 1/8 teaspoon. It boosts the cherry flavor and gives you that classic cherry almond combo. Cherry and almond are a match made in heaven!
- Pink gel food coloring: Optional, but it gives the dough its pink color without adding extra liquid. Gel has a lot of pigment, so a small amount gets you a bright pink. Liquid food coloring won’t give you the same color.
- Maraschino cherries: The star of the cookie. Drain a 12 oz jar well, blot the cherries on paper towels, and chop them finely so they spread evenly through the dough. Save a few for pressing on top.
How to Make Maraschino Cherry Cookies
- Drain and finely chop the maraschino cherries. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb excess juice. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Add in the pink gel food coloring until you reach your desired color and mix. I recommend gel food coloring as this will help give the cookies a deep pink color.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick.
- Add in the finely chopped cherries and 1 cup of chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.
- Use a #40 cookie scoop to form 2 Tbsp sized cookie dough balls. Press the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and additional chopped cherries on the outside of the dough balls. Place the cookies on the baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. This will help them maintain their shape.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. After freezing, place about 6-8 cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes. Be sure not to over bake or the cookies will loose their pink color and turn brown. The cookies will look slightly underbaked when you pull them out, but they will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet. Pulling them out at the right time will help keep them chewy!
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, I like to add extra chocolate chips to any spots that look sparse. I do not recommend storing these cookies covered because they will become soft from the added moisture from the cherries.
My Pro Tips for Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Weigh your flour. 360g is exactly right. No scale? Fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup, and level it off. Too much flour turns these dry and cakey.
- Drain and blot the cherries. Pour off the juice from a 12 oz jar, then spread the cherries on a few layers of paper towels for a few minutes. Moisture is the biggest challenge in cherry cookies, so this step matters most.
- Chop them finely. Smaller pieces spread evenly through the dough and help prevent the wet pockets that cause spreading.
- Freeze the dough balls for 30 minutes. This helps the cookies keep their shape in the oven.
- Use a cookie scoop. A #40 scoop (2 tablespoons) gives you even sizes and even baking.
- Load up the outside. Press extra chopped cherries and chocolate chips onto the tops and sides of each dough ball for that loaded look in the photos.
- Pull them early. They’ll look slightly underbaked, but they keep baking on the hot pan. Overbaking turns them brown and fades the pink.
- Let them cool on the pan. Give them 15 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack. They keep setting as they cool.
Gluten Free Cherry Cookies
Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results.
How to Store, Make Ahead, and Freeze Maraschino Cherry Cookies
To store: Leave the cookies uncovered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Covering them traps the moisture from the cherries and makes them soft.
To make ahead: Chill the dough for up to 72 hours before baking.
To freeze the dough: Freeze portioned dough balls on a baking sheet, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 extra minutes.
To freeze baked cookies: Wrap them in individual portions with plastic wrap, or layer them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before serving.
In the mood for more sweets? Learn how to add crumb topping to any muffin or try chocolate pudding pie!
More Christmas Cookies
- Turtle Cookies
- Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Avalanche Cookies
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Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups (12 oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for garnish
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1¼ cups (267g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp pink gel food coloring
- 1 cup drained & finely chopped maraschino cherries, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
This recipe requires that you chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- It's critical that you measure the flour accurately. The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method. Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it. Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour. Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
- Drain and finely chop the maraschino cherries. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb excess juice.1 cup drained & finely chopped maraschino cherries
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, 1¼ cups (267g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract, beat for 30 seconds.2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp almond extract
- Add in the pink gel food coloring until you reach your desired color and mix. I recommend gel food coloring as this will help give the cookies a deep pink color.¼ tsp pink gel food coloring
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick.
- Add in the finely chopped cherries and 1 cup of chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.2 cups (12 oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup drained & finely chopped maraschino cherries
- Use a #40 cookie scoop to form 2 Tbsp sized cookie dough balls. Press the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and additional chopped cherries on the outside of the dough balls. Place the cookies on the baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. This will help them maintain their shape.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. After freezing, place about 6-8 cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes. Be sure not to over bake or the cookies will lose their pink color and turn brown. The cookies will look slightly underbaked when you pull them out, but they will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet. Pulling them out at the right time will help keep them chewy!
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, I like to add extra chocolate chips to any spots that look sparse. I do not recommend storing these cookies covered because they will become soft from the added moisture from the cherries.
Last Step: I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a rating and comment here.
After 55+ years of baking I made a rookie mistake! I subtracted the weight of my measuring cup instead of adding the weight in flour………..Thin spreaded cookies…..Great flavor though! Another batch to be made correctly today!
Followed the recipe exactly, and made sure to measure the flour as instructed with a food weight device. They came out very chewy and had a great cookie texture. Will be a staple in the household for sure!
Not sure what I did wrong other then not weighing and going by cups but dough was like cake batter cookies came out flat and unimpressive. I followed directions exactly.
Looks delicious! Going to try it.
I so agree with your niece, I’m not a fan of chocolate either. But I can’t wait to try this “cherry” cookie! Plus it’s pretty and pink! My granddaughter will love this! She’s learning to cook and read from these recipes. Keep up the good work. You just don’t know what you are really putting out there, she may turn out to be a chef and it would be because of people just like you.
Hi.
I went to Amazon to buy Americolor pink there are so many shades. Could you tell me what shade to get. Thank you. I am so looking forward to making this cookie for my twins graduation
Ahhh..I don’t know what I did wrong other than I had to use red food coloring (hehe not #5) but the first batch at 12 min were like burnt brown looking so yanked then out. I did another batch and lowered the temp to 325 and at 10 it started browning the edges so I pulled them but it wasn’t cooked enough. They did still taste good but looked burnt so I’m not taking those to the graduation cookout (I made Coconut Dream cookies too). Any tips on how or what I did wrong completely?
This is a very late reply to you (and l am not the author of the recipe) but the first thing I would do is buy an oven thermometer to make sure your oven isn’t running hotter than the temps you’re setting it at. Sounds like if you followed the recipe perfectly, this may be the issue.
Love it!!! Moist cookies🍒🍪Thank you for sharing
Am I missing the temperature the oven should be at? I’m not seeing it anywhere. Also. The printed recipe says to pre scoop dough and freeze the dough balls then bake. The instructions on the blog call for the dough chilling in the refrigerator. Does this make a difference? Thank you!
Whoops! Good catch, I updated the in blog post instructions to match the printed ones!
1 cup/2 sticks of butter is too much. I made this cookie batter perfectly as per recipe and my first batch of cookies were so greasy and flat. I had to add another cup of flour , 1 tsp baking powder, more almond extract and sugar to the batter . The batter came out alot stiffer. I did not freeze the batter but chilled it. Rolled the batter into balls and baked at 350 for 12 minutes. Finally, my cookies came out great!
Hi Marti, 1 cup of butter for 3 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups sugar is an appropriate ratio. Also the recipe specifically says to freeze the dough for 30 minutes before baking.