Description
These Cherry Blossom Cookies are a delightful blend of soft, buttery cookies studded with sweet maraschino cherries and topped with creamy milk chocolate kisses. Perfect for festive occasions like Valentine’s Day or any celebration, these cookies combine classic flavors with a charming presentation that will impress family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Add-ins
- 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries (drained and patted dry)
- 24 milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped)
- Optional: pink sanding sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Mix in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined, adding moisture and flavor to the dough.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening and seasoning.
- Mix Dry Ingredients into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms, ensuring not to overmix to avoid tough cookies.
- Fold in Cherries: Gently fold the chopped maraschino cherries into the dough, distributing them evenly without crushing.
- Optional Rolling: If desired, roll tablespoon-sized dough balls in pink sanding sugar for a festive, sparkly finish.
- Scoop and Arrange Cookies: Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into smooth balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden, signaling they are perfectly baked.
- Add Chocolate Kisses: Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press an unwrapped milk chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie before they cool.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes so the chocolate sets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, blot the maraschino cherries thoroughly to remove excess moisture which can affect cookie texture.
- The chocolate kisses will soften in the oven heat but will firm up as the cookies cool, providing a perfect melt-in-your-mouth surprise.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
