Wonderfully cute and bite-sized, these Cherry Chocolate Kiss Cookies are the perfect Christmas and Valentine’s Day dessert. The secret to their gorgeous color and delightful flavor? Maraschino cherry juice.
These cherry blossom cookies are so festive and pretty. With a chocolate Kiss in the center, they have a slightly fancy look with little effort! They’re also made in about an hour (plus some cooling time for the chocolate to firm up), making them easy and perfect for sharing and gifting!
And even though these cookies are pretty to look at, they’re also quite tasty! They are full of cherries and some maraschino cherry juice, plus a touch of almond extract. If you’ve never paired those two flavors before, you’re missing out. They are so good! When you add the chocolate kiss on top, they just get even better.
The other great thing about these cookies is that they are soft and chewy for several days. Many versions of this cookie don’t use any egg, but this version uses an egg yolk. It adds extra moisture and chewiness, plus it binds everything together a little more. Between the egg yolk and the fruit, these cookies stay moist and fresh, and even get better on day 2 and 3 since the moisture and flavors set in even more.
Recipe Ingredients
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts for these cherry chocolate kiss cookies.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is used. Be sure it’s at room temperature so that you’re ingredients combine properly.
- Powdered sugar – This is also called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. It adds sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s tender texture.
- Egg yolk – To bind the ingredients together and give you chewier cookie.
- Salt – Skip it if you’re using salted butter. But be sure to add salt somewhere, since it adds and amplifies the flavor in your cookies
- Maraschino cherry juice – Please don’t skip this, it’s the whole reason these are “cherry” Kiss cookies.
- Almond extract – Feel free to substitute it for additional vanilla extract.
- Vanilla extract
- Red food coloring – Pink food coloring works too. I used regular food coloring, but gel icing color would also work.
- All-purpose flour
- Maraschino cherries – Chopped.
- Kisses – I used Hershey’s Brand kisses.
Making these cherry chocolate Kiss cookies is about as easy as a boxed mix.
- Prepare the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can also use a silicone baking mat. Set it aside.
- Cream the butter. In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar using a stand mixer over medium speed. Beat them until light and fluffy. A hand mixer works too. Then add the egg yolk.
- Add the food coloring. Incorporate the salt, extracts, and cherry juice. Continue beating until well combined. The mixture should be completely pink.
- Fold in the cherries. Add the flour and mix until a loose dough comes together. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure you’re combining all of the ingredients. Use a wooden spatula to gently fold in the chopped cherries.
- Roll the dough. Use measuring spoons to scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time. Use your hands to gently roll it into a ball. Repeat this for all the dough. Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2″ of space between them.
- Bake. Pop the cookies into the oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges and bottom. Remove them from the oven. Carefully press a Kiss chocolate into the center of each cookie. Set them aside to cool.
Tips for Success
These are standard baking tips but don’t ignore them. They can make a real difference.
- Measure your ingredients properly. I have a whole post on measuring dry ingredients. I always recommend a food scale, but without one, the tips in that post are really helpful.
- Don’t over-mix. Once you add the flour, make sure not to over-mix the dough otherwise your cherry Kiss cookies will turn out tough and rubbery.
- Don’t over-bake. They’re done when they are just starting to brown on the edges. Ovens can vary a bit, so you may need to adjust a minute here or there, but keep in mind that even once out of the oven, they’ll finish baking with their residual heat.
- Let them cool. Allow the baked cookies to rest in the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before removing them. This way you’ll help prevent them from crumbling. You also want to give the kisses time to cool completely. They’ll soften from the heat of the cookies after you add them.
Can These Be Made in Advance?
Sure! They hold up well at room temperature for several days, but you can also freeze them. Freeze the balls of dough for 30 minutes and then place them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, arrange them on the baking sheet and let them thaw for 15 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on the oven.
You also freeze the baked cookies. Flash freeze them in the freezer for about an hour, then layer then with parchment paper in an air tight container or add them to a freezer bag. They should freeze well for up to 3 months.
These cookies should be stored in an airtight container, away from the heat, for up to 5 days.
If you refrigerate them they can last up to a week, just make sure to keep them away from onions and other foods with strong odors. Leave them at room temperature before eating them so they can soften up a bit.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Moist and Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Wonderfully cute, these cherry chocolate kiss cookies are the perfect holiday treat. The secret to their flavor? Cherry juice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp maraschino cherry juice
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 drops red food coloring, optional
- 2 1/4 cups (293g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 30 milk chocolate kisses
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the butter and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
- Add the egg yolk and mix until well combined.
- Add the salt, cherry juice, vanilla extract, and food coloring and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the flour and mix just until the dough comes together. Stir in the chopped cherries.
- Make scoops of 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll them into balls. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 141
- Sugar: 8.5 g
- Sodium: 53.4 mg
- Fat: 7.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.3 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 23.3 mg
Keywords: cherry chocolate kiss cookies, cherry blossom cookies, easy cookie recipes
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When do you add the egg yolk? Thanks!
The instructions have been updated to make that clear. Thanks!
Can this these cookies be frozen? Thank you.
Yes, they should do fine frozen.
I’m looking forward to trying this, but wondering about substituting Amarena cherries for Maraschinos for more true cherry flavor. Would you still use the same proportions? They seem likely to come out much darker in color as well.
You could certainly try that. I haven’t used those cherries before, but I assume the same proportions would be ideal. And yes, they’d likely be darker in color. I hope you enjoy them!