Cherry Chocolate Kiss Cookies
If you love cherries, and you love chocolate, you are going to love these Cherry Chocolate Kiss cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter *cool, softened (make sure not to keep out too long, you want the butter cool
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt *do not add this if you use salted butter (unsalted preffered)
- 4 teaspoons juice from maraschino cherry jar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract *still tastes great if you substitute vanilla extract
- 2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup maraschino cherries, chopped *this is a great time to use that chopper tool if you have one. Reduces the mess.
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, for sprinkling *this amount may vary depending on your sweetness preference
- 24 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped *maybe a few more for snacking haha
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees ℉.
- In a standing mixer (or a handheld) beat the softened butter at medium speed for about one minute, until creamy.
- Reduce your mixer speed to low and slowly add powdered sugar and salt to your creamed butter.
- Add 1 Tbsp. cherry juice from the maraschino cherry jar.
- Next, mix in almond extract (or vanilla extract) until combined.
- Keep the mixer speed low, and slowly add in the all-purpose flour a little bit at a time.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium, and add in the chopped maraschino cherries to the dough mixture. The dough will turn a pretty pink color.
- Once all of the ingredients are combined, shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Gently press in the center of each cookie using your thumb or back of a tsp measuring spoon, until the cookie is about ¾ of an inch thick. This creates a spot for the chocolate kiss after the cookies have been baked.
- Before placing the cookies in the oven, sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are slightly brown.
- Remove cookie tray from the oven and gently press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Place the cookies on a cooling rack to cool for about 8-10 minutes before eating.
Notes
- Substitute the almond extract for vanilla extract if there is a nut allergy, or you don't have it on hand. You won't notice the difference.