Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Closeup of Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie with a bite missing on a silver cooling rack with maraschino cherries and more cookies in the background.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies are a flavorful twist on a classic favorite, combining the sweetness of maraschino cherries with the rich decadence of chocolate! Perfect for a holiday treat or just because, you'll make these cookies again and again!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 13

Total Time 43

Servings cookies

Calories 169kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Ingredients

1½ cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips (see note)
¾ cup chopped maraschino cherries, patted dry (From one 12 oz jar of cherries, drained. See note.)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment (see note) and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside.
Drain and chop the cherries (I quartered mine so they were about the same size as the chocolate chips), then place them on paper towels and pat them dry.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Toss the chopped cherries with 2 tablespoons of flour, then stir them into the dough by hand so as to not overmix the dough or break the cherries apart too much. The more evenly the cherries are incorporated, the more evenly your cookies will bake.
With a large cookie scoop (see note), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. If desired, place chopped chocolate pieces on top of the unbaked cookies.
Bake 12-14 minutes, turning the baking sheet around halfway through. The cookies will be golden at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.
The cookies will keep, completely cooled, in an airtight container for up to five days. The cookies are best on the day they're baked, as the cherries start to make the cookies soggy after that. Because of that, I don't suggest freezing these cookies.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on chocolate chips: You can use whatever kind of chocolate you like! For the cookies pictured here, I used ½ cup dark chocolate chips, then topped the dough balls with ¼ cup of chopped dark chocolate.

Note on maraschino cherries: I quartered my maraschino cherries so that they were about the same size as the chocolate chips. Okay, here's the thing: I'm not big on regular maraschino cherries, as I'd rather avoid the red dye. I used them for the cookies in the photos because, otherwise, it's hard to tell the cherries are there. When I make these for my family, I use cocktail cherries, which have a dark color and really lovely cherry flavor. They're a splurge, but delicious!

Note on parchment: I like to line my pans with nonstick parchment for easier cleanup. If you line your pans with a silicone liner, the cookies may take a little longer to bake through.

Note on cookie scoop: I used a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoon volume) to portion out my cookies so they’re all uniform in size (and my hands stay a lot cleaner).

Nutrition