Maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies weren’t even on my radar until my daughter came home from a friend’s house last December absolutely raving about them.
“Mom, they were PINK. And they had cherries AND chocolate. You HAVE to make them.”
So naturally I spent the next three days obsessively searching for recipes because when your 10-year-old actually shows enthusiasm about something other than YouTube, you go with it.
First batch? I didn’t dry the cherries enough and they turned my entire batch of cookie dough into this weird pink soupy mess. Like, I couldn’t even scoop it. Had to throw the whole thing out and start over while my daughter watched me with the most judgmental look a fourth-grader can muster.
Second batch was better but still not quite right—I overbaked them and they were crunchy instead of soft and chewy. Third time though? Nailed it. And now these cherry chocolate chip cookies are basically a monthly occurrence in our house.
Table of Contents
Why These Soft Cherry Cookies Are So Addictive
Look, I’m gonna be honest—I thought maraschino cherries were just for topping ice cream sundaes and decorating cocktails. I had no idea they could be AMAZING in cookies. But here’s the thing… they add this sweet, slightly tart flavor that’s totally different from fresh cherries, and they keep the cookies incredibly soft.
Plus they’re festive. Like, these cookies work for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, baby showers, birthdays… basically any time you want cookies that look like you tried harder than you actually did.
My neighbor Sarah makes hers with almond extract instead of vanilla, which gives them that cherry cordial vibe. I’ve tried it both ways and honestly? Both are great. Sometimes I do half vanilla, half almond extract and call it a compromise.
Ingredients for Easy Cherry Cookies Recipe
You’ll Need:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (don’t use margarine, it’s not the same)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla + 1 tsp almond extract)
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate with these)
- ¾ cup maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry, and chopped
- Flaky sea salt for topping (optional but highly recommended)
About those cherries: This is critical. CRITICAL. You have to dry them. Like, really dry them. I dump them on paper towels, pat them down, change the paper towels, pat again. If you don’t do this, your dough will be too wet and your cookies will spread into weird flat puddles. Learn from my mistakes.
Also, don’t use the whole jar. These cookies only need about ¾ cup of chopped cherries, so you’ll have leftovers. My kids eat them straight from the jar, which is kinda gross but whatever.
Making the Best Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Prep Work
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment—these cookies can stick.
Drain your cherries and spread them out on like 5-6 paper towels. Pat them dry. Wait, I already said that. But I’m saying it again because it’s THAT important. You want them as dry as possible. I usually chop them up after drying them, then pat them one more time. Overkill? Maybe. But it works.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars
In a large bowl (or stand mixer if you’re fancy), beat the softened butter with both sugars until it’s light and fluffy. This takes about 3-4 minutes. Don’t rush it. This is what makes your cookies soft and chewy instead of flat and crispy.
I learned this from a YouTube video at like 2am when I couldn’t sleep—properly creaming your butter and sugar traps air bubbles that help cookies stay thick. Science or whatever.
Step 3: Add Eggs and Vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Make sure the first one is fully mixed in before you add the second. Then add your vanilla extract (or vanilla + almond if you’re going that route).
The batter should look smooth and kinda pale yellow at this point. If it looks curdled, your butter was probably too cold. It’ll still work, but next time let your butter sit out longer.
Step 4: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Just whisk it for like 30 seconds to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Add this to your butter mixture and mix on low speed until JUST combined. Like, as soon as you can’t see dry flour anymore, stop mixing. Overmixing makes tough cookies and nobody wants that.
Step 5: Add the Good Stuff
Fold in your chocolate chips and dried chopped cherries by hand using a spatula or wooden spoon. Don’t use the mixer for this part—you’ll break up the cherries too much and your dough will turn pink. Which, okay, isn’t the worst thing, but it looks prettier when you can see distinct cherry pieces.
Step 6: Scoop and Bake These Festive Cherry Cookies
Use a cookie scoop (I use a medium one, about 1.5-2 tablespoons) to drop balls of dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie—they will spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Here’s where people always mess up (including me the first several times): these cookies will NOT look done when you take them out. The edges will be just barely set and the centers will look puffy and underbaked.
That’s correct. That’s how they’re supposed to look.
If you wait until they look “done” in the oven, they’ll be overbaked by the time they cool. Take them out when they still look slightly underbaked. They’ll continue cooking on the baking sheet.
Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you’re using it (DO IT, it’s so good), then let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Step 7: Try Not to Eat Them All
This is the hardest step. Good luck.
Tips for Perfect Homemade Cherry Cookies
Dry those cherries. I know I’ve mentioned this like eight times but people always tell me “oh I didn’t think it mattered” and then their cookies turn out weird. It matters!
Don’t overbake them. Seriously. Underbaked-looking is perfect. They firm up as they cool.
Room temperature ingredients make a difference. Cold eggs don’t incorporate as well. I usually just put mine in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes while I gather everything else.
These freeze amazingly well. Both the dough and the baked cookies. I often make a double batch, bake half, and freeze the rest of the dough in balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Try different chocolate chips. I’ve made these with semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and even white chocolate chips. All good. My personal favorite is milk chocolate because it’s sweeter and plays well with the cherries.
Why These Cherry Cookies with Chocolate Chips Are Special
These aren’t just another chocolate chip cookie. The maraschino cherries add this unique sweet-tart flavor and keep them incredibly soft and chewy. They’re colorful and festive without being over-the-top. And they’re easy—no chilling the dough, no fancy techniques, just mix and bake.
My daughter’s friends request them specifically now. Like, their moms will text me asking if I can send some to school for birthdays. Which is honestly the highest compliment a cookie can get.
Are they the healthiest thing you’ll ever eat? Absolutely not. Do they contain an entire jar of artificial red dye? Probably. But they taste like happiness and childhood and special occasions, so I’m okay with that.
Make a batch this weekend. Bring them to your next gathering. Watch them disappear in like 10 minutes flat. Then make another batch because you’ll definitely want more.
Let me know if you try these! And if you have any tips for making them even better, drop them in the comments because I’m always looking to level up my cookie game.
Happy baking! 🍒🍪
