Glazed Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Soft and buttery cherry cookies, made with cherry juice and cherry pieces, are topped with a drizzle of melted chocolate, sweet glaze, and a cherry!

Not only do these little cookies LOOK sweet, they taste even BETTER!  These cherry cookies are unique, tasty, and easy to make… talk about the perfect cookie!

These. Snow. Days. Are. Killing. Me!  We’ve had cancellations and delays almost every day for the past two weeks and it’s driving me nuts lol.  My oldest is in Kindergarten, so she’s only in school for a few hours anyway, but those three hours are put to good use, blog wise, since it’s just my son and I.  I set him up in his high chair with some snacks and Curious George and I can cook/bake, set up my photoshoot area, etc.  But when my daughter is home, he wants NO part of hanging out in the kitchen with me, he’d rather be with “sissy”… which basically means they terrorize each other while I repeat “no!” over and and over and put them in several time-outs.  Not quite the most productive mornings lol.

But one morning last week, they were both actually behaving pretty well, so I wanted to reward them with some cookies.  Not just any cookies… THESE cookies!  Both of my kids are maraschino cherry obsessed, which, let’s face it, they totally got from me.  I’ve always had a soft spot for those sweetened cherries and the maraschino cherry juice… man oh man… it adds so much flavor and color to drinks and baked goods!

These cookies are the brainstormed product of me reading a recipe in a Taste of Home cookie booklet from the grocery store checkout line and spinning off from there.  The recipe I saw originally was for a cherry kiss cookies; you know, the one with a chocolate kiss in the center.  But I’ve seen quite a few of those on Pinterest as of late, so I wanted to do something a little different, plus add a few extra flavors.

They’re just as delicious with just the drizzled chocolate and not the glaze… in fact, I made half the batch with the glaze, and half without.  The glaze is easy to make, just takes a little while.  Good news is, all you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a double boiler!

Look how soft and chewy they are!  These cookies taste similar to a shortbread cookie flavored with cherries, although they have a chewier texture than traditional shortbread.  The best of both worlds!

If you’re looking to make something special to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or just to make a unique cookie, you should totally try these cherry cookies!!

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Glazed Chocolate Cherry Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 30 cookies

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Soft and buttery cherry cookies, made with cherry juice and cherry pieces, are topped with a drizzle of melted chocolate, sweet glaze, and a cherry!

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar + 2 Tbsp sifted to whisked to eliminate lumps
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp maraschino cherry juice
• ▢ 1/2 tsp almond extract
• ▢ 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ Few drops of red food coloring optional
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2/3 cup maraschino cherries chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup granulated sugar for dipping
• ▢ 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 tsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk optional

Instructions

• MAKE THE DOUGH:
• Add butter, powdered sugar and salt to bowl of a stand mixer (or mixing bowl) and beat until smooth and combined.
• Beat in cherry juice, almond extract, vanilla extract and red food coloring (if using) until well combined.
• Add 1/2 the flour and beat until mixed. Beat in remaining flour until combined.
• Stir in chopped cherries.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 3-4 hours.
  
• MAKE THE THICKENED SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK:
• Add an inch of water to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place a glass bowl over the top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come in contact with the water.
• Add sweetened condensed milk and cook for about 40 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until condensed milk has thickened slightly.
  
• BAKE THE COOKIES:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Add granulated sugar to a small bowl.
• Use a small cookie scoop or your hands and roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet, a few inches apart.
• Bake 8-12 minutes, until bottoms are a very light brown. Don't overbake or they will turn an awful orange-ish color.
• Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  
• DECORATE THE COOKIES:
• Add milk chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, drizzle oil over the chips and stir to combine. Microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between each burst, until chocolate is almost all the way melted. Remove from microwave and stir to let the residual heat melt the remaining few chips.
• Transfer to a plastic condiment bottle and drizzle over the tops of the cookies.
• Use a fork or spoon to drizzle thickened sweetened condensed milk over the chocolate.
• Place one cherry in the center of each cookie.

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Chef Tips

1. If flatter cookies are desired, dip the bottom of a drinking glass in the bowl of granulated sugar and press down on the cookie balls to flatten slightly before baking.
2. Prep time does not include chilling.
3. Thickened sweetened condensed milk can be made earlier in the day to save additional time.
** Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Cookies

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