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These maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies are a fun twist on a classic! They’re just like your favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, but full of maraschino cherry flavor. Plus, they take just 20 minutes to make and there's no dough chilling required!
Just like my dairy free chocolate chip cookies, these cherry chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy and so buttery. They’re super simple to make and the maraschino cherries makes these cookies so fun and unique!
As always, I’ve got some tips and tricks on how to make modifications for food intolerances - cookies are for everyone!
Why You'll Love These Maraschino Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cherries and chocolate are such an amazing flavor combination!
- You only need 10 simple ingredients to make these maraschino chocolate chip cookies!
- You can easily make them gluten free, dairy free or vegan! Perfect if you’ve got food allergies.
- This is a no chill recipe and they take just 20 minutes to make.
- Each maraschino chocolate chip cookie has a soft and chewy middle - no dry cookies here!
Ingredients Needed
- Flour: I’ve tested this recipe with all purpose flour. If you’re gluten free, you can use gluten free all purpose 1-1 baking flour instead.
- Butter: feel free to use regular butter or vegan butter if you’re dairy free or vegan.
- Egg: I’m using an egg here, but if you’re vegan you can use a flax egg instead. Not sure how to make one? Check out this recipe for detailed instructions!
- Chocolate: I recommend using semisweet or dark chocolate for these cookies. Milk chocolate is just a touch too sweet when combined with the maraschino cherries! Feel free to use chocolate chips or chop up a chocolate bar.
Step by Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Remove the stems from your maraschino cherries and pat them dry with paper towel, thoroughly. Chop them into small pieces and pat dry again.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and white sugar and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Step 5: Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Add in the chopped chocolate and maraschino cherries and stir until combined.
Step 6: Use a medium cookie scoop or a spoon to make 1.5-2 tablespoons sized cookie dough balls and place on the baking sheet 3-4 inches apart.
Add a few extra chocolate pieces on top of each cookie dough ball for that bakery look!
Step 7: Bake the cookies one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 8-11 minutes. Take them out of the oven when the edges look set but the middles look slightly underbaked.
Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
FAQs and Expert Tips
I don’t recommend using regular cherries here, as I haven't tested the recipe that way.
Maraschino cherries are sweetened and preserved cherries. They’re usually the cherries you’ll find in ice cream sundaes, milkshakes and decorating cakes!
You want to take them out of the oven when the edges have set but the middles still look underbaked. They’re going to continue baking on the baking sheet so don’t worry about underbaked cookies! The cookies should not be golden brown.
Expert Tips
- I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients! It is so easy to add too much flour, leading to dry and crumbly cookies. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, make sure you use the scoop and level method to measure your flour.
- Make sure to pat the cherries dry, thoroughly, before adding to the cookie dough so that you don't have too much moisture in the cookies.
- I love sprinkling some flakey sea salt on top of the freshly baked cookies!
- Once the cookies are out of the oven, use a large biscuit cutter or glass to gently scoot the cookies into a perfect round shape. This is going to give you that bakery style look!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Keep the maraschino chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-6 days.
To freeze, place the cookies in a freezer bag or ziploc bag for up to 2 months in the freezer. Let them thaw at room temperature before eating.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Standing or handheld mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened (dairy free or regular)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup maraschino cherries, pitted and chopped small
- ¾ cup chopped dark or semisweet chocolate
- flakey sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the stems from the maraschino cherries, then pat them dry to remove all excess liquid. Chop the cherries into small pieces then pat dry again, thoroughly.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, combine butter and sugars, mixing until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until just combined (do not over-mix!).
- Mix in the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Add in the chopped dark/semisweet chocolate and chopped maraschino cherries and stir until combined.
- Bake the cookies (one sheet at a time for even baking) for 8-11 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the edges look set. They will look under-baked in the middle!
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top, and leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
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