Description

These Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies are a festive and delicious treat perfect for the holiday season. Made with buttery shortbread dough, chopped maraschino cherries, and chocolate chips, these cookies combine sweet, tart, and rich flavors with a tender, crumbly texture. Easy to prepare and bake, they make an ideal cookie platter addition or gift.

Ingredients

Scale

Shortbread Cookie Dough

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix-Ins

3/4 cup maraschino cherries, chopped (drained well or use candied maraschino cherries)
2/3 cup chocolate chips

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Instructions

Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a mixer, beat the unsalted butter together with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and creamy.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift the all-purpose flour together with salt. Gradually knead this dry mixture into the creamed butter mixture to form a dough.
Add Cherries and Chocolate Chips: Fold in the chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough using a spatula or your hands.
Shape and Chill Dough: Place the dough onto cling film, shape it into a uniformly thick log, then press to compact it gently with your hands. Wrap the log tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
Slice and Bake: After chilling, cut the dough log into round cookie slices of even thickness. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 1 inch apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (163°C) for approximately 15 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
Cool and Serve: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. Once cooled, gently lift the cookies off the sheet and serve.

Notes

If your butter is not soft enough, chop it into pieces and microwave briefly until just softened but not melted.
Using small chocolate chips or drops helps when cutting the dough log into round cookies preventing chunk breakage.
Ensure you chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before slicing to maintain shape during baking.
If the dough crumbles or breaks when cutting, gently hold the pieces together with your fingers to preserve cookie shape.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 140 kcal
Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 70 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Fiber: 0.5 g
Protein: 1.5 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg