I found a jar of maraschino cherries in the back of my fridge and that gave me the perfect excuse to whip up these easy cherry almond cookies. I think this flavor combination is amazing, and definitely deserves more popularity. They also happen to look fabulous!
As much as I love chocolate and peanut butter cookies, I am equally excited for some variety and these cherry almond cookies do not disappoint.
Even my husband, who is even more of a chocolate fan than me, can’t resist grabbing a few before they even get to cool down.
If you are participating in a cookie swap or want a fun cookie for a bake sale, this will be a big hit.
🍒 Ingredients
✅Cherries & cherry juice | Maraschino cherries are what you want to reach for in this cookie recipe. You will also use some of the juice from the jar.
✅Butter, sugar, vanilla | Classic cookie ingredients that help give these cherry almond cookies a fluffy and delicate texture. You will find them near the canned fruit or near the olives, depending on the store. Most likely, they will not be at eye level.
✅Flour | I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
✅Almond extract | The almond extract helps to give these cookies that unique flavor.
✅White chocolate | I melted it and drizzled over the cookies.
🍽️ Instructions
Now sit back and have a snack and a hot cup of coffee and eat your cookies!
👉Step 1: First, remove the stems and place the cherries on a cutting mat. Quarter them with a sharp knife and set aside.
👉Step 2: In a stand mixer, whisk the butter until it’s smooth and creamy.
👉Step 3: Add the sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and maraschino cherry juice. Mix until smooth.
👉Step 4: Add the flour, and mix until completely blended.
👉Step 5: Remove the mixing bowl, and gently fold in the chopped cherries. Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper, and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
👉Step 6: Once thoroughly cooled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place a piece of parchment paper, or a silpat mat on a cookie sheet, and set aside.
Take a tablespoon sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Place it on the lined cookie sheet. Continue until all cookies have been rolled. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator again and chill for 30 minutes.
👉Step 7: Remove the cookie sheet, and bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12 – 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.
The cookies will spread a little, so make sure you chill them according to directions.
If you don’t chill the dough, the cookies won’t bake correctly. Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven, and leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for 10 minutes. Move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
👉Step 8: When the cookies are completely cool, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it’s smooth.
👉Step 9: Drizzle the cookies with melted white chocolate. Serve and enjoy!
TIP: As mentioned before, these cookies will not bake correctly if you don’t chill them so please don’t skip that step!
📌 Expert Tips
🔸Make sure to measure your flour properly so you don’t have too thin or dry cookie batter. We explain it all for you and give you a free printable to help you in the future.
🔸Make sure to not over-bake the cookies or they will be too dry.
🔸Always remove the stems from the cherries before chopping.
🔸Add in some finely chopped almond slivers for a bit of crunch.
🔸Refrigerating cookie dough is a must, otherwise, the cookies will not bake properly.
🥫 Maraschino vs. Canned vs. Candied vs. Fresh Cherries
I know this recipe might be tempting to try when cherries are in season, or made with regular canned cherries when you can’t find Maraschino. Sadly, these don’t quite work, and I’ll explain the difference below so you understand why.
🔹Maraschino cherries – These are the ones you want. They come in a jarred in syrup. You can find them in the cocktail mixers or ice cream toppings areas. Maraschino cherries are sweetened, have a firm texture, and a specific almond-sugar flavor.
🔹Canned cherries – These are soft and packed in water or heavy syrup. You can’t use them because they make the cookie soggy.
🔹Candied cherries – These are dry, sticky cherries usually available in a plastic tub. These won’t work either, because while technically they can be folded into cookie dough, this recipe also requires the liquid from the Maraschino cherries and the candied ones don’t have any.
🔹Fresh cherries – They are full of water, just like canned ones. All those juices are released during baking, which can make the cookie dough soggy and raw.
🍪 How to Arrange a Cookie Exchange
If you haven’t attended a cookie exchange before, this is a great year to say “yes” to an invite. Don’t be shy. If your friends aren’t hosting one, arrange one yourself! Here’s how you can host your own this year. Yes, there is still time.
- Make an invite to your friends and arrange for a date.
- Ask each person to bring a dozen cookies for each person that is coming.
- You, as the hostess, will provide some fun drinks or light snacks. I always resort to an easy festive drink recipe like my Slow Cooker Christmas Coffee, Crockpot Caramel Latte, or Instant Pot Eggnog which are perfect hot drinks for this.
- Ask each person to bring a container to bring their cookies home.
- When your guests arrive, have them place their cookies on the table.
- Once everyone arrives, each person will load one dozen of each into their container to take home.
- As an extra treat, print a booklet with each recipe in it for everyone. I loved this idea as someone always asks for the recipes. So, you might as well be proactive!
❓ FAQs
I find that adding in a hint of almond extract can really help bring out the flavors. Or depending on the cookie type you can sprinkle on some sea salt to naturally bring out flavor in the cookies.
You can indeed freeze maraschino cherries. So, if you don’t plan to use up a whole jar, transfer it into a freezer friendly container and store for up to three months.
You will find some cookies require you to chill the dough, and other recipes don’t. Some cookie recipes need the dough to be chilled or it will fall flat when it bakes. It is imperative to not skip chilling the dough if it is required in the recipe.
📌 Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Cherry Almond Cookies
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
- Silpat
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 15 Maraschino Cherries cut in half and in half again (should be in quarters)
- 1 stick Butter softened to room temperature but not melted.
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
- 2 tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice
- 2 cups Flour
- 4 tbsp White Chocolate to melt on top or for drizzling
Instructions
- Cut the cherries into quarters and set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the butter until it's smooth and creamy.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, almond extract, maraschino cherry juice, and mix until smooth.
- Add the flour, and mix until completely blended. Remove the mixing bowl, and gently fold in the chopped cherries, until blended.
- Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper, and place the dough in the refrigerator for three hours.
- After three hours, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and place a piece parchment paper, or a silpat mat on a cookie sheet, and set aside.
- Form a tablespoon of dough, and roll it into a ball, and place on the lined cookie sheet.
- Continue until all cookies have been rolled.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cookie sheet, and bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12 – 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.
- The cookies will spread a little, but shouldn't spread thin, so make sure you chill them according to directions.
- If you don't chill the dough, the cookies won't bake correctly. Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven, and leave them on the cookie sheet to cool, for 10 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack.
- When cookies are completely cool, melt the white chocolate in the microwave, on 10 second intervals until it's smooth. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
so delicious