These cherry almond cookies are simply divine! They are chewy and brimming with almond flavor from the addition of almond extract, toasted ground almonds, and Amaretto liqueur. Chopped maraschino cherries and maraschino cherry juice are both added for loads of fresh cherry flavor and that beautiful color. Add white chocolate chips to the cookie dough and/or top the cookies with a white chocolate drizzle for the perfect cookies. Yields 18 cookies.
I tested several variations of these cookies and landed on this perfect mix of almond, cherry, and white chocolate flavor in a chewy cookie. The cookie dough does require chilling for at least a couple of hours, so plan ahead when making these. You can prepare the dough up to 5 days in advance and store in the fridge - ideal for busy holiday time.
If you love the combination of almond and cherry, try my Almond Layer Cake with Cherry Whipped Cream.
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Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these wonderful cookies
- Almonds: Look for unsalted whole almonds instead of roasted or salted almonds or almond slivers. Instead of using almond flour, which can absorb a lot of moisture in the cookie dough and lack almond flavor, we toast the whole almonds then process them in a food processor. This helps boost the almond flavor in the cookies and add nice texture.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter for this recipe. Salted butters have varying amounts of salt in them. If using salted butter, however, omit the added salt. Be sure to remove the butter from the fridge at least 30 minutes before preparing the cookie dough to allow the butter to come to room temperature.
- Sugar: Use regular white granulated sugar for this recipe. Because this makes for a soft cookie dough, using brown sugar would make the dough too soft. Granulated sugar helps the outside of the cookie get just the right amount of crispiness when baked.
- Amaretto liqueur: this is secret ingredient to amping up the almond flavor in these cookies! I tried adding a lot of almond extract, however, the cookies just taste like artificial almond flavoring. To complement the almond extract and boost the almond taste, Amaretto adds a wonderful complexity and flavor to these cookies. If you prefer not to bake with alcohol, you can skip the Amaretto, however, the almond flavor will be much more subtle in the baked cookies.
- Almond extract: I recommend choosing a high quality brand, if you can afford it. The flavor makes a big difference. This recipe calls for a half teaspoon of almond extract. Unlike other cherry almond cookie recipes, I omitted the vanilla extract from this recipe. I felt it took away from the almond flavor of the extract, Amaretto, and toasted almonds.
- Maraschino cherry juice: This is a two-for-one ingredient you can get with the maraschino cherries when you buy one jar of cherries. Reserve a bit of the liquid for using in the cookies to enhance the cherry flavor and give the cookies that beautiful pink color! I recommend cutting the cherries in half to add to the cookie dough, as opposed to chopping them in smaller pieces. The cherry halves add beautiful texture and flavor. If chopped too small, the flavor and texture may get lost.
- All-purpose flour: regular plain flour is best here to create the perfect amount of chew in these cookies.
- Salt: if you are using salted butter, omit the salt.
- Maraschino cherries: Look for these in the aisle of the grocery store where the ice cream cones are or, if your grocery store sells liquor, look in that aisle. Choose a jar of cherries without stems, if you can find them. This saves you time from having to remove the stems before chopping them in half and adding to the cookie dough. I would not recommend using fresh cherries (bing cherries or Rainier cherries from the produce section) or dried cherries, as these will alter the outcome of the cookies.
- White chocolate chips (not pictured): Technically, these are optional but I highly recommend including them! You can add the chips to the cookie dough (my husband's preferred method) and/or you can melt the white chocolate and drizzle it on top of the cookies after they've cooled. The white chocolate flavor just complements the almond and cherry flavors so well.
How to make Almond Cherry cookies with White Choc
Step 1
Toast the almonds: To an ungreased heavy skillet set over medium heat, add the almonds. Toast for 5-7 minutes, shaking every few seconds to ensure they brown evenly on all sides. Once the almonds smell fragrant and begin to look browned, remove them from the heat.
Add the almonds to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Set aside
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment affixed, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until creamy and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Step 3
With the mixer off, add the almond extract and amaretto liqueur. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for about 1 minute.
Step 4
With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the cherry juice. Beat for 1 minute on high speed until fully incorporated and the cookie dough is a beautiful shade of pink.
Step 5
Turn the mixer off and add the flour, salt, and toasted ground almonds. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly stir until a very soft dough forms, then with the mixer still running on low, add the chopped cherries and white chocolate chips, if using. Stir on low just until the cherries are evenly incorporated.
Step 6
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. If your mixer bowl won't fit in your fridge because you have too much stuff in it like I do, transfer the cookie dough to a large bowl or a medium bowl first, then cover with plastic wrap.
TIP: If this cookie dough is not sufficiently chilled, your cookies will spread. Chilling the dough also enhances the flavor of the baked cookies.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls. Shape the cookie dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies one tray at a time.
While one tray of cookies is baking, place the rest of the dough back in the fridge to remain chilled.
Step 8
Bake for 12 minutes, or until just starting to turn lightly golden brown at the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake.
TIP: If the cookies spread, use a round cookie cutter or the rim of an overturned bowl to scoot the cookies back into round shapes by circling the cookie cutter or bowl around the cookie, allowing the sides to bump back into a round shape.
Step 9
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
If you find the bottoms of the cookies look a bit greasy, place a layer of paper towels on the wire rack then place the cookies on top. This will absorb any excess melted butter from the bottom of the cookies.
Step 10 - optional
Melt additional white chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well in between, until fully melted and smooth. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top of the cooled cookies.
I like to dip the tines of a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle back and forth over top of the cookies. You can also use a piping bag with a fine tip or use a clean squeeze bottle.
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How to store cherry almond cookies
Store cooled cookies in an aritgith container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
To freeze, place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze at least one hour until frozen. Transfer for a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
To freeze the cookie dough, scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan and place in the freezer for at least one hour or until frozen. Transfer the cookie dough to a freezer safe storage bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, place frozen cookie dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake as directed. Cookies may take 1-2 minutes longer to bake all the way through.
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted whole almonds
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur
- 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 24 maraschino cherries without stems, drained and halved
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips optional, plus more for drizzling on top of cookies
Instructions
- To an ungreased heavy skillet set over medium heat, add the almonds. Toast for 5-7 minutes, shaking every few seconds to ensure they brown evenly on all sides. Once the almonds smell fragrant and begin to look browned, remove them from the heat. Add the almonds to the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Set aside½ cup unsalted whole almonds
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment affixed, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until creamy and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- With the mixer off, add the almond extract and amaretto liqueur. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for about 1 minute.½ teaspoon almond extract, 2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur
- With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the cherry juice. Beat for 1 minute on high speed until fully incorporated and the cookie dough is a beautiful shade of pink.1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
- Turn the mixer off and add the flour, salt, and toasted ground almonds. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly stir until a very soft dough forms. With the mixer still running on low, add the chopped cherries and white chocolate chips, if using. Stir on low just until the cherries and white chocolate chips are evenly incorporated.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 24 maraschino cherries, ¾ cup white chocolate chips, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. If your mixer bowl won't fit in your fridge because you have too much stuff in it like I do, transfer the cookie dough to a large bowl or a medium bowl first, then cover with plastic wrap. TIP: If this cookie dough is not sufficiently chilled, your cookies will spread. Chilling the dough also enhances the flavor of the baked cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls. Shape the cookie dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies one tray at a time. While one tray of cookies is baking, place the rest of the dough back in the fridge to remain chilled.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown at the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake. If they spread, use a round cookie cutter or the rim of an overturned bowl to scoot the cookies back into round shapes by circling the cookie cutter or bowl around the cookie, allowing the sides to bump back into a round shape.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. If you find the bottoms of the cookies look a bit greasy, place a layer of paper towels on the wire rack then place the cookies on top. This will absorb any excess melted butter from the bottom of the cookies.
- Optional: Melt additional white chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well in between, until fully melted and smooth. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top of the cookies. I like to dip the tines of a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle back anf forth over top of the cooled cookies. You can also use a piping bag with a fine tip or use a clean squeeze bottle.
Notes
- To store: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.Store in the fridge for up to one week.
- To freeze baked cookies: place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze at least one hour until frozen. Transfer for a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Make ahead: Prepare the cookie dough then scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan and place in the freezer for at least one hour or until frozen. Transfer the cookie dough to a freezer safe storage bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, place frozen cookie dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake as directed. Cookies may take 1-2 minutes longer to bake all the way through.
- Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.