Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies (Printable)
Tender cookies bursting with chocolate chips and sweet maraschino cherries — a fun twist on a classic favorite.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking soda
03 - ½ tsp salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
06 - ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
→ Add-ins
09 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 - 1 cup maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry, and chopped
11 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the creamed butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
06 - Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped maraschino cherries by hand. Fold in chopped nuts at this stage if desired.
07 - Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each portion approximately 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers should still appear slightly soft and underdone. They will continue to set as they cool.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cherry juice creates tiny pockets of gooey sweetness that make every bite a surprise.
- They look like something from a bakery case but come together with zero fancy technique.
02 -
- Those beautiful cherries will wreck your dough if you skip the blotting step and I learned this the soggy way.
- The centers look dangerously raw when you pull them from the oven but they set up as they cool so trust the process.
03 -
- Chop the cherries fairly small so you get flavor in every bite rather than one big wet pocket.
- Freeze scooped dough balls on a sheet pan then bag them so you can bake just four or five whenever the craving hits.