Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread (Printable)
Buttery shortbread with sweet maraschino cherries for holiday celebrations.
# What You Need:
→ Dough
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
→ Add-ins
07 - 3/4 cup maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry, and chopped
08 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
03 - Mix in vanilla and almond extract until fully incorporated.
04 - Add flour and salt; mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Gently fold in the chopped maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips, if using.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized amounts of dough and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
07 - Gently flatten each cookie with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
08 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until edges are just set and bottoms are lightly golden.
09 - Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The dough comes together in minutes but tastes like you spent forever on them
- That cherry chocolate combo is basically Christmas in cookie form
- They travel beautifully for cookie exchanges or neighbor gifts
02 -
- Overmixing the flour makes tough cookies, so stop as soon as everything is combined
- Wet cherries create weird pink streaks and soggy spots, so dry them thoroughly
- These look underbaked when you take them out but they firm up as they cool
03 -
- Room temperature ingredients are not optional here, they are essential
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes prevents spreading if your kitchen is warm