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If the holidays mean cherry cordial candies for you (me too!), then these are the Christmas cookie to bake this year! These Chocolate Cherry Cookies are studded with chopped cherries and a maraschino glaze that balances perfectly with the chocolate flavors. Shriley Temple lovers, this one is for you!
If youโre the type that steals maraschino cherries out of the jar, and wishes every drink came with 10 of them, this is your Christmas cookie! If youโre also the type that would rather have a box of cherry cordials than expensive chocolates, youโre just like me and we both love these cookies!
These chocolate cookies are soft and chewy (with crisp edges, of course!), but theyโre also packed with chocolate chips and cherries! The maraschino cherry juice glaze on top makes them the most cherry-flavored chocolate cherry cookies ever! Itโs a fine balance to not let the flavor of chocolate overtake the cherry flavor here, but we did it!
Ingredients
- Butter. We need slightly less than an entire stick of butter for these chocolate cherry cookiesโ7 tablespoons, or 98 grams.
- Sugar. One-half cup of granulated sugar.
- Egg Yolk. One large egg yolk; reserve the egg white for another recipe.
- Vanilla Extract. Even though this is a chocolate cherry cookie, we use one teaspoon of vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of the chocolate.
- Almond Extract. You might not know this, but almond extract is a flavor in candied cherries. You donโt have to add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to this dough, but they will taste more cherry-like if you do.
- Flour. This recipe uses 3/4 cup of regular all-purpose flour. Anytime I call for flour, I mean all-purpose, unless stated otherwise.
- Cocoa Powder. Four tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Espresso Powder. Itโs optional to use 1/2 teaspoon of instant espresso powder in these cookies, but it really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. This recipe contains the bare amount of cocoa powder that still allows the cherry flavor to shine through, so the espresso also helps with color.
- Baking Powder. One-half teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt. One-quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt.
- Maraschino Cherries. The dough requires 1/4 cup of chopped maraschino cherries. Be sure to dry the cherries on a paper towel before adding them to the dough so the excess moisture doesnโt make the dough too thin! You also need 6 whole cherries for topping the cookies before baking. Youโll slice them in half and put one cherry on half of each cookie. We also need a few teaspoons (2-3 teaspoons) of maraschino cherry juice from the jar to make the glaze.
- Chocolate Chips. One-quarter cup of semisweet chocolate chips.
- Powdered Sugar. One-half cup of powdered sugar to make the glaze after baking.
Chocolate Cherry Cookies Tutorial
First, beat 7 tablespoons of softened butter with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. (This is one stick of butter, minus one tablespoon).
Cream until light and fluffy, at least one minute, and then add the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts and beat again.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix to blend. Add the 1/4 cup of chopped cherries (that you dried on a paper towel first), and chocolate chips.
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, and top each cookie dough balls with an extra cherry half and a chocolate chip or two.
Press the dough down slightly with your palm, and then bake for 12-13 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set and the middles donโt appear wet. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Just before serving, combine the powdered sugar and a splash of maraschino juice from the jar. Drizzle it over the cookies.
Storage and Make Ahead
These cookies soften quickly after baking because of the moist cherry on top, so I recommend baking them not more than one day before serving. Make the glaze the day you plan to serve them. You can freeze the dough by pressing it flat in a freezer safe bag, or freeze it in dough balls. For either version, defrost over night in the fridge before baking. I donโt recommend baking these from frozen because the cookies need to be pressed down slightly before baking to avoid being overly domed. If theyโre frozen, you canโt do this.
Other ways to use up maraschino cherries
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons 98 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3/4 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries plus an extra 6 whole cherries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice from the jar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat to help reduce cookie spread.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. When light and fluffy, add the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract, and mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry (flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt) ingredients. Evenly sprinkle over the wet ingredients, and mix to combine.
- Next, place the chopped cherries and whole cherries on a paper towel to lightly dry them. Cut the 6 whole cherries in half to make 12 halves.
- Add the chopped cherries to the cookie dough and lightly stir them in (itโs okay if they break up a bit).
- Finally stir in 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Drop large scoops of dough (2 tablespoons each) onto a cookie sheet, evenly spaced. Press each dough ball down slightly with your palm. Then, place a cherry half on top of each cookie.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, until the edges of the cookie begins to set and the middles arenโt wet. Let cool on the sheet pan 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cool, combine the powdered sugar with the maraschino juice from the jar. Drizzle the pink over the cookies.
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