Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pink cookies have a really soft texture surrounding the chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips. They are also pretty cookies - perfect for the holidays and impressive for guests.

The chocolate, berries, and almond combination is so delicious (you know that from my Chocolate Covered Cherries). If you love those, you will absolutely love these Chocolate Cherry Cookies and this will be a recipe you make again and again. You might even call them Cherry Cordial Cookies!

Reasons to Love this Maraschino Cherry Cookies Recipe

Cherry Cookies are good for so many reasons...

Delicious Flavor Combination – The sweet, slightly tangy cherries pair perfectly with rich chocolate for a satisfying bite.
Soft & Chewy Texture – Thanks to the moisture from the cherries, these cookies stay soft and tender.
Beautiful Appearance – Their pink or red color and the small pieces of cherries makes them stand out on any dessert table.
Festive & Fun – A favorite cookie for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any special occasion.
Easy to Make – Simple ingredients and a quick baking time make these a great homemade treat.
Customizable – You can use white, dark, or milk chocolate chips, add almond extract, or drizzle with extra chocolate.
Great for Gifting – These cookies look stunning in a holiday tin or treat bag.
Kid-Friendly – A sweet treat that both kids and adults will love with their sweet, fruity, and chocolatey taste.

Equipment Needed

Nothing special is needed to make this cherry cookies recipe:

Bowl
Spoon
Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Baking Sheet (or Cookie Trays)
Parchment Paper
2 tablespoon Cookie Scoop
Cooling Rack

Ingredients

The ingredients for this Maraschino Cherry Cookie recipe are basic pantry staples!

Butter - I always use salted butter but unsalted butter would work just as well. If you decide to use unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt to the recipe if you like how a touch of added salt enhances flavors.
Brown Sugar
White Sugar
Egg
Vanilla Extract - a hint of vanilla always enhances the flavor of any dessert!
Pink or Red Food Coloring
All Purpose Flour
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Jar of Maraschino Cherries drained and chopped
Milk Chocolate Chips

Find the complete recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.

Substitutions

This cherry cookie recipe has one very versatile ingredient - the milk chocolate chips. You could instead use Dark Chocolate, Semi-sweet Chocolate or White Chocolate Chips for White Chocolate Cherry Cookies.

How to Make Maraschino Cherry Cookies

This is an easy recipe for Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies and you can have cookies ready to eat in under half an hour!

Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line your prepared baking sheet..
Cream together on medium speed, the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Then stir in the egg, vanilla, and food coloring
Add the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and stir until there are no more dry spots and a ball of dough forms.
Fold in the rest of the ingredients (chocolate chips and chopped cherries).
Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to dip out cookie dough. Place six cookie balls on the lined cookie sheet with space in between them.
Place the remaining dough in a bowl in the fridge. It is a soft dough so chilling between sheets of baking will keep it firm and manageable.
Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes.
Let them cool on the tray for 5-6 minutes. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you run out of dough. Then enjoy it with a glass of milk!2

egg on top of creamed butter and sugars in mixing bowl

flour and other dry ingredients added to cookie dough

maraschino cherries and chocolate chips added on top of cookie dough

finished cookie dough mixed up in mixing bowl

balls of cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet

baked cherry cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet

baked cherry chip cookies on a wire rack

a stack of almond cherry cookies and the top one has a bite missing

Pro Tips

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Cold ingredients will change how the cookies turn out.
¾ cup Maraschino Cherries is just about one 10-ounce jar, drained
If you want to skip the artificial coloring, you could use the extra maraschino cherry juice instead. You won't get the same pink color but you will have a little extra cherry flavor! PS - I'm aware that maraschino cherries already have food coloring in them but this tip is for those who may not keep food coloring on hand.
Press a few chocolate chips into the top of each cookie as soon as you take them out of the oven to give them the look of professional bakery cookies.
If you don't have a cookie scoop, measure out two tablespoons of dough for each cookie - the balls of dough should be approximately the size of a walnut.

a broken cherry chocolate chip cookie laid in halves

Variations

Chocolate-Dipped Cherry Cookies: Half-dip the baked cookies in melted chocolate for a bakery-style look.
Cherry Almond Cookies: A teaspoon of almond extract is the perfect addition to enhance the cherry flavor and chopped almonds for extra crunch.
Cherry White Chocolate Cookies - use white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate ones.
Cherry Blossom Cookies - press a milk chocolate Kiss into the center of each cookie fresh out of the oven for a semi-traditional blossom cookie.
Cherry Sugar Cookies - skip the chips altogether for a cherry sugar cookie or almond cherry cookies.

Serving Suggestions

Wherever you serve a cherry cookie - a tall glass of milk or a cup of coffee should be present!

Christmas – Their red color makes them a beautiful addition to holiday cookie trays.
Valentine’s Day – The pink or red hue of cherry kiss cookies is perfect for romantic treats.
Birthday Parties – A fun and eye-catching cookie that stands out.
Bake Sales - These are perfect cookies for bake sales because they'll be unique and the star of the show!

Storage Directions

Store leftover Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. These cookies get softer the longer they are saved.

FAQ

Do I need to use food dye to make these cherry chocolate cookies pink?

To make the cookies pink, you will need food dye or food coloring of some type. If you don’t want to use food dyes, feel free to omit.

Do these cookies go well with milk?

Yes! These cookies go well with a glass of milk and would be perfect to leave out for Santa for Christmas (I've heard them called Cherry Christmas Cookies), as a Valentines Day dessert, or simply an everyday treat!

Do I have to chill the dough before baking?

No, you do not have to chill the dough before baking, however, I do recommend keeping the dough in the fridge chilling while other batches are baking.

Can I use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips in place of milk chocolate chips?

Absolutely! Use whichever flavor chocolate chips you’d like and feel free to add more on top of the cookie dough balls before baking to have them more noticeable on top of the cookies.

Recipe