Tis the time of year to start baking cookies! I love it, and I love cookies. Cookies are a family tradition at our house. There are just so many great Christmas cookie recipes and so many friends, neighbors, and extended family to share them with. Honestly, who in the world wouldn’t love a batch of assorted sweet treats to indulge in? These Maraschino Cherry Almond Chocolate Cookies are the perfect complement to your cookie tray. They are gorgeous and delicious, and the flavor combination is amazing!
These days there are so many ways to pack them for gift-giving. Wrap it Up: 30 Cute Cookie Wrappers to Buy or DIY has so many awesome ideas!! My favorites are the Dot Handle Boxes and the Sweet Heart Lace Favor Boxes!! I have also found many great ideas for wrapping and packing cookies at Target in the dollar bins.
Maraschino Cherry Almond Chocolate Cookies are easy shortbread cookies full of cherries and semi-sweet chocolate chips. There is a touch of almond flavoring to complement the cookie. They are so quick to come together. Have you made any of my other Christmas treats and cookies? Foolproof Almond Joy Fudge, Thick Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies, and Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are just a few reader favorites.
They can be frozen ahead of time. I pack all my cookies in doubled Ziploc freezer bags and place them in sturdy glad-ware containers. When thawing, take them out of the containers frozen and place them on serving trays or platters uncovered. Never allow them to defrost in the plastic and the containers. The condensation that builds in there will ruin the cookies.
So if you love baking and making special holiday treats to share with others put these Maraschino Cherry Almond Chocolate Cookies on your Christmas baking list. They will make a special addition to your holiday cookie tray!
Maraschino Cherry Almond Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2-3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries chopped
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chip morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl with a mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in almond extract and powdered sugar. Turn the mixer to stir or low and slowly add flour mixing in until incorporated. Mix in maraschino cherry juice and maraschino cherries. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper. Spray the bottom of a glass with nonstick cooking spray and flatten the balls. You will need to spray the glass several times.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing cookies to cookie cooling racks.
Video
Notes
- You can also bake the cookies as rolled balls, and they will cook to a more traditional cookie shape. Flattening gives them more of a shortbread look.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 6 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Della
Can you freeze this recipe?
Beth Pierce
Yes, you can freeze the shortbread cookie dough or the baked cookies.
Michelle
Is the recipe above missing ingredients? No egg or baking powder? I figured they were left out for a reason but I just made them and they are flat..
Beth Pierce
They are a shortbread cookie. Shortbread cookies do not have eggs or leavening agents. They are supposed to be flat.
Lea
I saved this years ago and it is my daughter’s favorite cookie at Christmas(when I make) I get super frustrated when trying to press down the cookies. This year I found a solution! I laid parchment paper on top of the cookie balls and press them with a glass. It was so much easier and not as messy as using the cooking spray. Just thought I would share.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip, Lea!
Candi
Can this dough be made ahead and frozen?
Beth Pierce
Sorry about the delay. So busy these days. Yes, you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
Wendy Sherman
A new favorite to add to our repertoire of cookies! We did flatten the cookies with a glass dipped in granulated sugar!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Wendy! So happy that you liked the cookies!
Eileen
I’ve never seen this recipe before! Happened to have all the ingredients in the kitchen, so i gave it a try. Delicious! The cherry, chocolate, almond combination is really tasty. I would love to make these into roll out cookie cutter cookie. Any suggestions on what I should do to make that happen? Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much. I have never tried rolling this dough out and cutting it with cookie cutters. I wonder if you could roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and then lift the top sheet and cut them with cookie cutters. Let me know what the results are. I am sure the readers would like to know.
Nicole
My new favorite cookie! We roll them in powdered sugar after they come off the sheet. Delish!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Nicole! So glad that you like them!
amy griffiths
I have made these wonderful cookies many times now and thought I should share the little hint I’ve come up with. Before baking, I use the saved butter wrappers to press the cookies down. The combination of the butter remnant and the waxed paper makes pressing them down so much easier and saves on clean-up. The cookies are a family favorite now. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you like them and thanks for the tip. The readers will really appreciate it.
Amanda Johnson
These are so good!! How long are they good to leave in an airtight container? I want to give them as gifts.
Beth Pierce
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 6 days in the refrigerator.
Mary Kelley
I made your cookies last night for a Cookie Swap that my church is having and I tell ya, they are phenomenal!!!!! Thank you for the recipe. It is definitely a keeper!
Beth Pierce
Thanks! So glad that you liked them! We love them too!!
Jill
For some reason I couldn’t leave her star response.
However I would give it a five! Are used vanilla instead of almond extract because I didn’t have any and I used white chips instead of chocolate chips because I didn’t have any. My husbandAnd my son loved the cookies!
Thanks for the recipe
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Jill! So glad that you, your husband, and your son loved the cookies.
Jane
They were good the first time I made them. The second time I used 3 tablespoons of cherry juice, the whole 10 oz jar of cherries and 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips. They were amazing.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips Jane! So glad that you liked them!!
Beth Pierce
Yes you can.
Carrie
This recipe worked great with vegan alternatives! I worried that the cookies would spread and lose shape with oil, but they didn’t at all. Instead of butter, I used 1/2 cup Miyoko’s Vegan Butter and 1/2 cup safflower oil. I used Enjoy Life Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips. Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it Carrie and were able to adapt it! Thanks for the vegan tips for my readers!