Cherry Blossom Cookies
These Cherry Blossom Cookies are a soft shortbread style cookie with hints of almond that have the delicious combo of chocolate and cherry!
A CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY LOVERS COOKIE RECIPE
Cherry Blossom Cookies are a fantastic vintage recipe that combines the irresistible flavors of shortbread, chocolate, and cherry. These mouthwatering treats are a cousin to the beloved Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies that we all know and love. With their pretty, classic blossom cookie look and their deliciously sweet taste, these cookies are sure to transport you back to simpler times and are the perfect cookie to give to that special someone on Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
When I was testing these, I made some without parchment and regretted it! I would highly encourage parchment. These cookies are soft and working with them on parchment is ideal.
The dough should have the consistency of a very moist playdough. You should be able to roll a ball without it sticking to your hands, but shouldn’t have to force it together.
If your dough is too sticky to handle, slowly add more flour until you can handle it. If your dough needs to be forced together to form a ball, you can add some moisture until desired texture is reached.
This is all really based on personal preference. You can use almond, vanilla or cherry extract for even more cherry flavor. I have personally had these with both almond and vanilla. I liked almond while my family prefers the vanilla.
Chilling the dough is a vital step but you don’t have to chill them for long since they are small. I have found that 15-20 minutes is enough time. Chilling the dough prevents it from spreading too thin while baking.
Sure. The pink color comes from the maraschino cherries and juice. If you want a more vibrant pink, you could use pink food coloring or pink sugar to roll the cookies in for another pop of color.
It can be tricky with colored cookies but the edges will show signs of subtle browning. You can also gently lift a cookie and peek under it.
Once the cookies have cooled, transfer them to a lidded storage container and keep at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. You can freeze them in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Be careful as it’s easy for the kisses to fall off once frozen or while thawing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- unsalted butter – forgot to take your butter out in time to soften it to room temperature. See my post on How to Soften Butter Fast.
- powdered sugar – some folks like to sift their powdered sugar to get out any lumps so feel free to do so.
- maraschino cherry juice– you can get this from the jar of maraschino cherries
- almond extract – you can substitute with cherry extract or vanilla extract
- all purpose flour – it’s super important you do not pack your measuring cup with flour when measuring. You will end up with way too much flour and will have dry and crumbly cookies. If you do not have a kitchen scale, the best way to measure flour is to dump some into a bowl (do not measure from the bag). Take your measuring cup and scoop up the flour (do not pack or push down). Take the flat end of a butter knife and just scrape the excess off.
- maraschino cherries – I have only used maraschino cherries for this recipe so I can’t say for sure how any other type of cherry (like morello cherries) would work out.
- granulated white sugar – this is used for rolling and helps to create a little texture.
- Hershey Kisses – feel free to use any flavor of Hershey’s kisses that would work well with the cherry flavors.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY BLOSSOM COOKIES
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cherry juice and extract of choice and continue mixing until smooth.
Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix on low until fully incorporated. Once the two cups are added, slowly add a couple of Tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough resembles a playdough consistency and can be handled without sticking to hands (you may not need the full amount).
Carefully stir in the chopped maraschino cherries, just until combined. Use a Tablespoon round cookie dough scoop to form small cookie dough balls and roll the balls in granulated sugar until coated. Place them evenly apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill the dough balls for at least 20 minutes before baking.
While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until baked through. NOTE: As with all baked goods, oven times can vary depending on the type of oven used (convection, gas or electric), what rack it was baked on and how close it is to any heating elements and how your particular oven heats up (with hot spots, etc.) so please go by your own knowledge of your oven to know when to check the cookies and determine when they are done.
Remove from the oven and place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Allow to cool before serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Cherry Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon maraschino cherry juice (from the jar of maraschino cherries)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (cherry extract or vanilla extract)
- 2- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar for rolling
- 24 Hershey Kisses
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the cherry juice and extract of choice and continue mixing until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix on low until fully incorporated. Once the two cups are added, slowly add a couple of Tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough resembles a playdough consistency and can be handled without sticking to hands (you may not need the full amount).
- Carefully stir in the chopped maraschino cherries, just until combined.
- Use a Tablespoon round cookie dough scoop to form small cookie dough balls and roll the balls in granulated sugar until coated.
- Place them evenly apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Chill the dough balls for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350F degrees
- Bake cookies in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until baked through. (See my notes below)
- Remove from the oven and place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie while they are still warm.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This was calculated at 12 servings – 2 cookies per serving.
- NOTE: As with all baked goods, oven times can vary depending on the type of oven used (convection, gas or electric), what rack it was baked on and how close it is to any heating elements and how your particular oven heats up (with hot spots, etc.) so please go by your own knowledge of your oven to know when to check the cookies and determine when they are done. Bake times are only estimates.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
