Inspired by Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, thisChocolate Chip Cookie recipeis so easy to make and absolutely loved by everyone! Sweet and tart, these cherry cookies are the perfect treat any time!
The perfect treat any time! The best part? Almost everything you need for your ingredients list can be found in your pantry which I love because I always get inspired to make these cookies all year round.
Cherry Cookie Recipe
Cherry Garcia is one of our favorite flavors as a family and so it absolutely inspired this Cherry Cookies Recipe. The best news about this dessert is that the set up is not hard. When we aren’t making my cherry cheesecake recipe, cherry cheesecake brownies, cherry bars, or my cherry cheesecake dip, we are making this sweet treat!
The cherry cookies directions are so easy to follow, in fact, that I encourage you to have your children help out with this holiday favorite.
I am such a huge fan of the traditional chocolate chip or sugar cookie recipe that we all usually lean on. Believe me when I say that I turn to those recipes more times than not.
But sometimes, you just want a little some more and these co*cktail cherries truly add that extra layer of color and flavor that everyone is craving. And chocolate is the answer. Isn’t chocolate always the answer?
These from-scratch cherry cookies will feel semi-homemade because all you truly need to do is mix a few ingredients together. The effort is low but the return is SO HIGH! Yum and YUM!
co*cktail cherries – or maraschino cherries – can be found just about everywhere. When you are done finishing up with this recipe, you can use the leftovers to make Shirley Temples for the kids. Super fun!
For now, let’s get right down to it – the perfect mix of sweet and sweeter. Make sure you bake an extra batch for later because the first round is going to fly right off of your plate.
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Cherry Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (12 oz.) bag Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (10 oz.) jar Maraschino cherries (drained and chopped into pieces)
Directions For Cherry Garcia Inspired Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, baking soda, butter, egg, and almond extract. With an electric mixer, cream the batch until light and fluffy.
Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until well distributed. Gently fold in the chopped cherries. Your cherry cookies are underway!
Chill your Cherry Garcia cookie dough for 30 minutes. Roll dough into 2 inch balls (the cookies will not expand much in the oven) and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet.Bake the Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies for about 12-14 minutes or until light brown.
Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. ENJOY your cherry cookies!!
What Else Can I Add To This Recipe?
If you want to have a little fun, you can color the cookie dough by adding a little bit of the co*cktail cherry juice to the mix. All you have to do is pour a little bit of the maraschino cherry juice right into your bowl while you are mixing.
A tablespoon or two – and watch the color of your cookie turn!
You can also consider adding up chopped almonds to your batch. We already have almond extract in our recipe. So, you don’t have to worry about adding in any more flavor on that end. But a little crunch can go a long way!
Can I Refrigerate The Dough?
Absolutely! Make this dough ahead of time, roll everything firmly into a ball and wrap with Saran Wrap. You can keep the dough for up to two weeks in your refrigerator.
When you are ready to bake, take the mixture out of the fridge, give it a quick mix, and then follow the recipe as needed.
Are These Cherry Cookies Considered Holiday Cookies?
Here’s the thing, anything that is fun and festive is considered HOLIDAY, right? So, YES! I would consider these cookies perfect for an upcoming holiday gathering.
But I also think they would make a great dessert for a weekend gathering with friends. They aren’t particularly positioned as HOLIDAY, but they could be. That’s entirely up to you.
Is There Anything I Need To Do To The Cherries Before Putting Them In My Recipe?
To play it safe,be sure to rinse, drain and dry your cherries before folding them into your cookie dough. You don’t have to worry about making them BONE DRY, but you don’t want to accidentally add in a large amount of unwanted juice UNLESS you want to color your dough. That’s up to you.
The more juice that is added in from the maraschino cherries, the more likely your cookie dough will change color. That’s not necessarily a BAD thing. It’s just a warning about these cherry cookies.
Check Out My Other Dessert Recipes Before You Go
- Thin Mint Brownies Recipe
- Blueberry Lemon Donuts
- Gluten-Free Brownies
- Cookie Cheesecake Bars
- Gluten-Free ChocolateCupcakes
- Unicorn Bars
- Best Brownie Recipe
- Cake Mix Cookie Bars
Cherry Garcia Cookie Recipe
Yield: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
Inspired by Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is so easy to make and absolutely loved by everyone! Sweet and tart, these cherry cookies are the perfect treat any time! The best part? Almost everything you need for your ingredients list can be found in your pantry!
Ingredients
- * 1 cup granulated sugar
- * 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) butter, softened at room temperature
- * 1 egg
- * 1 teaspoon almond extract
- * 3 cups flour
- * 1/4 teaspoon salt
- * 1 teaspoon baking soda
- * 1 (12 oz.) bag Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
- * 1 (10 oz.) jar Maraschino cherries (drained and chopped into pieces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, baking soda, butter, egg, and almond extract. With an electric mixer, cream until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until well distributed. Gently fold in the chopped cherries.
- Chill cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into 2 inch balls (the cookies will not expand much in the oven) and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet.Bake 12-14 minutes or until light brown.
- Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. ENJOY!!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 103Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
