Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies (Printable version)
Tender, buttery cookies studded with rich chocolate chips and vibrant maraschino cherries for a fun, colorful dessert twist.
# What you need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - ½ teaspoon 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 teaspoons 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)
# How To:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
06 - Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips, chopped maraschino cherries, and nuts if using.
07 - Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers should still appear soft.
09 - Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cherries create these little pockets of sweet chewiness that make every bite feel like a surprise party in your mouth.
- They look absolutely gorgeous on a cookie tray, all speckled with red and chocolate, and people always assume you bought them from a bakery.
02 -
- Patting the cherries dry is not optional, and I learned this the hard way when my first batch spread into one giant pink cookie blob.
- Those centers will look underdone when you pull them out, but they keep cooking on the hot pan, and trusting that process gives you the softest cookies.
03 -
- Chop the cherries fairly small so every bite gets a hit of fruit, but save a few pretty halves to press on top of each dough ball before baking for that bakery style look.
- Using a cookie scoop instead of a spoon gives you uniform cookies that all bake at the same rate, which means no more burned edges and raw centers on the same tray.