Chocolate cherry blossom cookies pair the sweet, fruity taste of cherries with the timeless appeal of chocolate. This chocolate cherry cookie recipe makes a batch of cute pink cookies and each one is topped with a Hershey’s kiss. It’s a fun recipe that even cooking newbies will find easy. The texture of these holiday cookies is soft and shortbread-like since they’re made without eggs.
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This chocolate and cherry blossom recipe would definitely make a great addition to your Christmas cookie tray. They’re bite-size little treats and proves chocolate and cherry are two flavors that are just meant to go together. This is also the perfect holiday cookie for Valentine’s Day, too!
Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies Ingredients
Butter, powdered sugar, salt, and flour combine to make each cherry kiss cookie. You will also need maraschino cherry juice liquid, along with cherry extract or, for a contrasting flavour, almond or vanilla extract.
Some white sugar for rolling the cookies and a Hershey’s kiss for the center of each cookie also go into this holiday baking favourite. This sweet cherry almond cookie is packed with flavour.
Although the addition of maraschino cherries and cherry juice gives the cookies a subtle pink colour, you can always add some pink or red food colouring for a richer hue, or roll them in coloured sugar.
How to Make a Chocolate Cherry Cookie Recipe
Set the butter on the countertop if it’s been in the refrigerator. It’s easier to mix when softened to room temperature.
Then you can cream the butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy and light. Mix in the cherry juice as well as the almond extract or cherry extract (or whichever extract you’re using) and mix a little more, until you achieve a smooth dough.
Next add 2 cups of flour and mix at a low speed. You will need a Play-Doh type consistency, so add more flour, a little at a time, until the texture is like that. The pink cherry blossom cookies dough should be quite stiff (but moist enough to roll) and not sticky.
Mix in the chopped maraschino cherries and then shape the mixture into 24 balls with a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop (here). After adding the chopped cherries, chill the dough balls for at least 20 minutes before you bake them.
Arrange the cookies evenly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Let the cookies bake until the edges are slightly golden. Press a Hershey’s kiss into the center of each warm cookie then let them fully cool before serving. I prefer to remove them from the cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Cherry Blossoms Variations
Instead of the almond extract, feel free to use any kind of flavouring extract you want in the cherry flavored cookie dough. Cherry, vanilla and almond would all work here and taste good, or you could try something more unusual such as coconut perhaps.
If you can find cherry flavoured Hershey’s kisses, that would boost the delicious cherry taste even more, else the regular kind work fine. Cherry kisses are seasonal, so snap them up when you find them. Dark chocolate kisses would be a great option, too.
If you want to make the cherry blossom cookies a little larger, that is fine. They will just take a few extra minutes to cook through. This chocolate cherry blossom recipe is foolproof! The Hershey’s kiss in the middle of each cookie makes them the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie tray.
Chocolate Cherry Cookie Recipe FAQs
I’m pretty sure these cookies made with chocolate kisses will disappear too fast for you to worry about how long they’ll last! But you can keep them in an airtight container and they should be fine for a couple of weeks. Another idea is to freeze chocolate cherry blossoms for up to a year.
A word of advice here: make sure the chocolate cherry blossoms cookies are completely cool before putting them in the storage container. If not, they will release more steam/moisture and this will make them soggy.
Yes, you can if you like. If you do go for fresh cherries instead, you might find you need to add some extra cherry extract to get the same rich flavour, as well as a little more sugar perhaps. Just taste the dough before baking and see what you think.
Another option would be subbing another kind of fruit for the cherries, such as strawberries for example, and then adding strawberry extract. If you’re making this kind of tweak, just taste as you go to achieve a good flavour balance.
This pink cookie recipe makes a great Valentine’s Day treat or a snack for a spring celebration, but what about a vegan version? They don’t contain eggs, which already helps since you don’t have to find a replacement. I would suggest using a vegan butter alternative as well as a vegan chocolate kiss (or similar vegan chocolate candy).
This classic cookie recipe is just too good to miss out on. And if you love the combination of cherries and chocolate or cherry flavor, you should also try making chocolate cherry brownies too! Cherry kiss cookies with a beautiful pink color are a great recipe.
Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies Recipe
Easy Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon maraschino cherry juice liquid
- ¼ Teaspoon almond vanilla or cherry extract
- 2 Cups all purpose flour plus more if needed
- 1 Cup maraschino cherries chopped
- ¼ Cup granulated sugar for rolling
- 24 Hershey Kisses
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the cherry juice and extract of choice and continue mixing until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low until fully incorporated. Once the two cups are added, slowly add a couple of Tablespoons at a time until the dough resembles a play dough consistency and can be handled without sticking to hands.
- Carefully stir in the chopped 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.
- Chill the dough balls for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place cookies evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until baked through.
- Remove from the oven and place a Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Chocolate cherry blossom cookies are a family favorite at Christmas. Once you know how to make chocolate cherry blossom cookies, you will want to make at least one batch this holiday season. This is a wonderful chocolate and cherry blossom cookie recipe for spring or perfect for a cookie exchange. Cookies make the perfect gift and everyone is going to love these homemade cherry blossom cookies with chocolate.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
These look delish!
These were fun to make and to eat. They are festive and colorful and my kiddos loved them.
These were delicious! I made a test run before valentines day and these were a success!
OMG!!! Sweetheart, I can’t even begin to tell you HOW MANY COMPLIMENTS I RECEIVED FOR THESE! AHH! Not only are they gorgeous, they’re freaking delicious! Thank you SO SO much!
These were not only fun, but beautiful too! They were perfectly pillowy and easy for the kiddos to make. Will make again!
These were a colorful and flavorful addition to my cookie tray! I loved the combination of cherry and chocolate. These did not last in our house!