Maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies are perfect! Chewy and chocolaty with bites of sweet cherry inside. Festive and delicious and a unique spin on the classic!

Merry cherry cheer!

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are chewy and chocolaty and have the perfect sweet cherry twist. A little burst of christmas jewels inside a gooey dough with bits of melty chocolate… SIGN ME UP. 

Perfect cookies to leave out for Santa if I do say so myself. 

maraschino cherries

I have loved maraschino cherries for as long as I can remember! I would want to steal them out of my mom’s drinks when we went out to eat back in the day… my brothers and I would fight over the cherry. She’d decline because they were usually soaked in whatever that drink was – like bourbon. Ha! 

I mean, serving these chocolate chip cookies warm with some bourbon? That sounds festive and cozy to me. 

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookie dough

There is just something about maraschino cherries that is so nostalgic. The cool sweetness. Oh and the COLOR. I mean, yes, I used the classic maraschino cherries here for this recipe. But you can use luxardo cherries or something similar. I really love these merry maraschino cherries that I can find at my local grocery store. They are PINK and vibrant and gorgeous.

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookie dough

Don’t these just LOOK festive? They look like Santa’s cookies. I love that you can get a cookie with these colors that doesn’t include peppermint. I love peppermint everything, but sometimes I just want another version of a festive cookie. 

And here we are! 

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookie dough

These cookies are SO good. They are exactly how I want a cherry chocolate chip cookie to taste. And they are simple too. I use the base of this super old giant rainbow cookie. A favorite here on the blog.

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies

I don’t fully dry out the cherries or anything – but I do remove them from the juice and pat them pretty dry with a paper towel. You don’t want them super juicy going into the cookie dough, so give them a good press with your hands and the paper towel. But that is it! 

Milk or dark chocolate chips work. Semi-sweet may be the best complement, but it depends on your mood.

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies

My absolute favorite part is topping these with a sprinkle of flaky salt. The sweet + salty combo is everything.

‘Tis the season!

maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies

Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies are perfect! Chewy and chocolaty with bites of sweet cherry inside. Festive and delicious and a unique spin on the classic!
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  • In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and egg yolk until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  • Beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Beat in the chocolate chips and the cherries until mixed.
  • Scoop or roll the dough into balls that are 1.5 to 2 tablespoons in size. Make sure they are about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely set. Sprinkle with flaked salt. Let cool completely before serving.
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maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies

Ho ho ho.