Maraschino Cherry Cookies (Printable)

Soft butter cookies with sweet maraschino cherries and light almond glaze. Chewy and delightfully pink.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

→ Cherries & Add-ins

10 - 3/4 cup maraschino cherries, well-drained and chopped
11 - 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

→ Glaze

12 - 1 cup powdered sugar
13 - 2-3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
14 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
03 - Beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
04 - Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Gently fold in chopped maraschino cherries and white chocolate chips.
07 - Drop rounded balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, spacing 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and centers appear slightly underbaked.
09 - Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, cherry juice, and almond extract until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies and let set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of buttery dough and sweet cherries creates that perfect cookie texture we all crave
  • That almond glaze turns an ordinary cookie into something bakery-worthy with zero fuss
  • They stay soft for days which is basically a miracle in my house
02 -
  • Wet cherries equal spread cookies and gummy texture. I pat them dry with paper towels and let them sit while I prep everything else.
  • Underbaking slightly is the secret to soft cookies days later. They continue cooking on the hot sheet so trust the process.
  • Room temperature ingredients make or break this recipe. Cold butter won't cream properly and your texture will suffer.
03 -
  • Chill your dough for 30 minutes before baking if your kitchen runs warm. This prevents excessive spreading and thicker cookies hold more glaze.
  • Use kitchen shears to chop maraschino cherries right over a paper towel. The sticky juice makes knife cutting frustrating and messy.

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