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These maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies always bring the wow factor to any gathering or special occasion. What’s even better? They take just 10 minutes to prep and have a perfect pink color for a beautiful display.
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
Cherry Cookies
I believe I have mentioned this before, whenever it’s one of my nieces or nephews birthdays, they get to pick what kind of cookie I make and mail to them. Pretty lucky, huh?!
Well one of my nieces doesn’t like chocolate… I know, I don’t understand – I live off chocolate. So I was giving her a few options of cookies I could make and one of the options was maraschino cherry cookies.
I got to work and made five test batches! Some of the batches were pretty funny looking – working with an add in like maraschino cherries can be hard because they have so much moisture. But I finally got the recipe just right!
The ones I mailed her didn’t have chocolate chips so you can definitely make these cherry cookies without the chips, but for us chocolate lovers, more chocolate the better!
The combination of maraschino cherries and chocolate chips reminds me of this delicious cherry cordial ice cream that the ice cream shop near our house has. I love the taste of cherry ice cream, especially if there’s chocolate!
The cherry flavor is on point. These pink cookies would also be fun for baby showers – especially for a baby girl!
We’ve also add these cookies to our cookie trays during the holidays. And we love gifting this easy recipe for valentine’s day.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions for making Cherry Cookies.
- unsalted butter – Let the butter come to room temperature.
- brown sugar – I recommend using light brown sugar for this recipe.
- large egg
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- pink gel food coloring – I recommend AmeriColor brand.
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- maraschino cherries – Well drained & finely chopped.
- semi-sweet chocolate chips – You can substitute or dark, milk or white chocolate chips.
I love the flavor the 1/8 teaspoon almond extract adds to this cookie recipe. Cherry-almond cookies were a match made in heaven!
How to Make Cherry Cookies
- In a large bowl beat the softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer for 1 minute, or until combined.
- Add in the egg and extracts, beat again.
- Gel food coloring. Add in a small amount of pink gel food coloring and mix.
- Add dry ingredients. In separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand with a spatula.
- Add-ins. Add in the finely chopped cherries and chocolate chips, mix by hand until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to drop dough balls onto a silicone lined baking sheet or parchment paper. Press additional cherries and chocolate chips into the outside of the dough balls.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes. Be sure not to over bake or the cookies will loose their pink color and turn brown.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool to the touch on the baking sheet (about 15 minutes) then move them to a wire rack.
Cherry Cookie Baking Time
For the cherry chocolate cookies in the photos, the dough balls were about 3 heaping tablespoons, so that’s a large cookie!
I baked those for 14-16 minutes – just until the edge of the cookie would begin to turn golden. The result is a soft and chewy cherry chocolate chip cookie!
If you make smaller dough balls, you should reduce the baking time otherwise the cookies will be over done.
Time Required for Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- 10 minutes to make the cookie dough
- 14-16 minutes to bake the cookies
- 15 minutes to cool the cookies
Gluten Free Cherry Cookies
I have made these cookies multiple times with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour with great success.
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips
Here are some tips and hints for perfect cherry cookies.
Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method.
You need 3/4 cup chopped & drained maraschino cherries. Plus an extra 2 tablespoons or so for garnish. 3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries is about half a 16 oz jar.
Be sure to drain the cherries well. Once you drained off the juice, put the cherries on a few paper towels and let the extra maraschino cherry juice soak up.
Once the cherries have been drained, finely chop them.
If you want the tops of your cookies to look loaded with cherries & chocolate chips like the ones you see in the photos, be sure to add additional cherries and chocolate chips to the outside of the dough balls before baking the cookies.
Can you freeze maraschino cherry cookies?
Maraschino cherry cookies freeze beautifully! Wrap them in individual portions with plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment between the layers to keep them from sticking.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw 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 Recipes From The First Year
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Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ stick unsalted butter, softened, 1/4 cup
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
- Small amount of pink gel food coloring
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 180 grams, properly measured
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup drained & finely chopped maraschino cherries, plus extra for garnish
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- It's critical that you measure the flour accurately. Unknowingly adding too much flour will result in dry cookies.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.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a mixing bowl beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute, or until combined. Add in the egg and extracts, beat again.
- Add in a small amount of pink gel food coloring and mix.
- In separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing by hand with a spatula.
- Add in the finely chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips, mix by hand until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop dough balls onto a silicone lined baking sheet. Press additional cherries and chocolate chips into the outside of the dough balls.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes – be sure not to over bake or the cookies will loose their pink color and turn brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool to the touch on the baking sheet (about 15 minutes) then move them to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Is the almond extract necessary.?
Hi Landa! It’s just for flavor – you can substitute vanilla extract!
Thank you for sharing. How long do these cookies keep in an air tight container?
How many calories per serving
I didnt add enough food coloring but these cookies are insane. So good, so moist. So fun to make, I tripled the recipe! Love them.
144 calories per cookie I believe
Hello, these look delicious. I want to put them in my Christmas goody bags this year. Have you tried freezing them? Thank you!
Hi Kristen! I haven’t tried freezing these cookies. Sounds like a great cookie to put in goody bags!
Why do u not add all of chocolate chip and cherries save time just add all to mixture I even like a few walnuts in mine.
Hi Diane! I like putting extra garnishes on the outside of my cookie dough balls so they look extra yummy!
Is it light or brown sugar?
I have a variety in my pantry – so use whatever you have!
When I write a recipe, brown sugar means light, and if it calls for dark, I add the word dark. If you don’t have brown sugar on hand, it’s easy to make. 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 Tablespoon molasses = 1 cup light brown sugar. For dark brown sugar, add 2 Tablespoons molasses instead of 1. If you want to end up with a brown sugar like it comes in a package, combine the sugar with the molasses by hand or in a small food processor. In a recipe, like this one, where it is an ingredient, add the granulated sugar and molasses separately. They don’t need to be combined. For this recipe, 3/4 cup brown sugar = 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 Tablespoon molasses (or 2 1/4 teaspoons). Using molasses in a cookie recipe makes the cookie softer and chewier, especially in a chocolate chip cookie.
I used dark and they didn’t come out as pink. I suggest light for a better pink possibly
I can’t wait to make some. I make a cherry chocolate cookies that sounds kind of similar to these but they use some cherry juice in it and instead of chocolate chips it calls for a Hershey kiss to be pressed into the center of the cookies when they first come out of the oven.
Can I use regular sugar instead of brown
Hi Jackie – it will change the texture and structure of the cookie!
These sound amazing. I’m sure my family will devour them. I currently don’t have any chocolate chips. So I’m going to try it with cocoa. Should be interesting. I’ll keep you posted. Lol
How’d it turn out!?
What is the yield for this recipe? I teach 7th grade culinary arts and I am thinking of trying this recipe with my students.
About 20 cookies.
The cookie dough is definitely delicious! I’m hoping the baked cookies will be just as good coming out of the oven. The only thing I can add to this recipe is this: Be careful. Cherry juice stains. C:
Oh yes! I had red fingers for a day!!