Chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside makes these Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies irresistible. The pretty pink, red, & white dessert is perfect for Valentine's Day or any time of year you have a sugar craving.
Why this White Chocolate Chip Cookie with Maraschino Cherries Recipe is the BEST: My recipe is not overly sweet like other similar recipes. A bit less added sugar plus a touch more salt with the sweet cherries & rich chocolate = the perfect level of sweetness.
The pretty pink color, white chocolate chips, & the pop of red from the cherries makes this a gorgeous colorful cookie for Valentine's Day.
Like my recipe for Red Velvet Brownies from Cake Mix, these are loaded with creamy white chocolate chips. Ok, now we bake!
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Ingredients
This starts with a typical chocolate chip cookie base using pantry staples. A bonus for this recipe is you get two dozen cookies but only need 1 egg and 1 stick of butter.
NOTE: The bright red color in maraschino cherries is what makes them a kid favorite. Most brands use Red Dye #40 (not the recently banned red dye #3 in the USA).
I recommend buying maraschino cherries made in Italy which have no food dyes Check your labels & choose what is best for your family.
Here are important notes for some ingredients:
- Salted Butter - softened at room temperature.
- Sugar - granulated white sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar - light for this recipe is important so the cookies are not too dark & you get some pink coloring.
- Egg - room temperature.
- Almond Extract - almonds & cherries is a combo that is heavenly & gives it an old-fashioned flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour - don't over pack as you scoop & measure, or the cookie may come out dry.
- Salt - table salt works just fine here & is needed to balance the very sweet mix-ins.
- Leavening Agents - baking soda & baking powder to give the cookies a chewy texture while also being thick & gooey!
- Maraschino Cherries - drained & chopped; plus the juice in the jar are the stars of this cookie.
- White Chocolate Chips - the perfect chip to pair with cherries.
See the recipe card for full list, quantities, & any substitutions/variations.
How to Make Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe requires no chilling, no cookie cutter, and no slicing. The easy drop cookie dough comes together in 10 minutes & bakes quickly. In 30 minutes you will have fresh-baked gooey, chewy, & fruity cookies.
NOTE: this recipe calls for room temperature butter & an egg so you will need to plan ahead for that. See tips below for how to speed that process up.
Here are the easy steps for making drop cookies with maraschino cherries & white chocolate:
- Cream the Wet Ingredients
- Add the Dry Ingredients
- Bake & Cool
See the step-by-step instructions with photos below plus the recipe card at the end of the post.
1 - Cream the Wet Ingredients
Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F. Grease or add parchment paper to two baking sheets.
While it is preheating chop up the cherries & gather all the remaining ingredients.
I recommend letting them sit on some paper towels first to drain some of the juice off of them - this ensures they don't get too soggy & hold shape better.
In a medium mixing bowl add the room temperature butter & both sugars. Using a hand mixer cream until light, airy, and fluffy - 3 minutes on medium-high.
Add the egg & almond extract and mix for 1 minute.
2 - Add the Dry Ingredients
TIP: When measuring out the flour, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup. Do not scoop it/pack it into the cup - this often results in too much flour & a drier cookie. (no sifting needed)
To the wet ingredients add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. Mix on low-medium until combined; scrape down sides with a spatula as needed.
Add in 2 -3 tablespoons of the cherry juice - for pink coloring. You can either fold it in to make streaks or mix it for more even coloring (I like to fold)
Add the white chocolate chips and fold. The dough will be thick & try your best to evenly distribute the chips.
Finally, add the cherries to the dough and GENTLY fold them in to evenly distribute. Do not over mix or press too hard so the cherries hold their shape.
2 - Bake & Cool
This makes 2 dozen cookies. I like to bake them both at the same time using both my racks set one above the other in the middle of the oven.
Scoop 1.5 tablespoon size dough balls onto the baking sheet. Leave space between and get a dozen per baking sheet. These are chunky thick cookies loaded with goodies, they do not flatten or spread out too much.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. If baking both at the same time, rotate the trays at the 5 minute mark so each one gets time on both the lower & the higher of the two racks.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet. Then move to a wire rack to cool 2-3 more minutes so they set & are safe to eat.
Serving & Storing
Enjoy immediately while warm, gooey, chewy, & soft. Place cookies on a plate, platter, or add to a dessert display.
Store fresh baked cookies in an air-tight container in a cool dry place for up to 5 days. Cookie dough or baked cookies can also be frozen for up to a month.
Cookie Platter Ideas & Variations: Whether you bake a batch for holidays, after school snack, or for dessert you can't go wrong with these pretty fresh baked cookies.
- Omit the cherry juice in the dough for a red & white Christmas cookie.
- Omit the cherry juice & add blue M&M candies for a red, white, & blue 4th of July cookie.
- Use dark chocolate chunks instead of white chocolate chips for a Cherry Garcia copycat flavor.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - Do NOT over bake the cookies, they will be light in color with just a slightly golden bottom when ready.
- To speed up bringing butter & eggs to room temperature: I like to place them on a baking sheet in the oven with ONLY THE LIGHT ON! In the cold winter months, this gets them just right in about 15-20 minutes.
- Use vanilla instead of almond extract due to nut allergies.
- Chopped dried, sour, or pitted fresh cherries can be used as an alternate to the sweet jarred ones.
- Enjoy the remaining maraschinos in a Vodka Sunrise or Pink Mocktail.
- For brighter pink color, add pink gel coloring to the dough.
Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets
- hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter soft at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup maraschino cherries drained, chopped, & dry
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Make sure two racks are in the center most part of the oven so you can cook all 24 cookies at once. Also grease or add parchment paper to two baking sheets.
- Drain cherries on a paper towel lined plate to get excess juice off of them. Next chop the maraschinos. Cut smaller ones in half or larger ones into 4 pieces. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the butter and sugars. Using a hand mixer, cream on medium-high for 3 minutes. It should be fluffy & light.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar
- Add the almond extract and egg. Mix on medium for 1 minute.1 teaspoon almond extract, 1 egg
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides if needed. The dough will be thick.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the cherry juice & fold into the dough. This will give you streaks of pink. Add more or less to get the color you desire.2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup
- Fold in the white chocolate chips - distribute as evenly as possible.¾ cup white chocolate chips
- Gently fold in the cherries - try to get them evenly distributed without crushing them too much.¾ cup maraschino cherries
- No chilling - Scoop 1.5 tablespoon size dough balls & place balls on the baking sheet - 12 at a time evenly spaced on each baking sheet.
- Place a cookie tray on each of the two center-placed racks of the preheated oven. Bake for 5 minutes & then rotate trays onto opposite racks and continue baking for 5 more minutes.
- Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to the wire rack to cool. Continue to cool a few more minutes until set & no longer hot to the touch.
- Enjoy while warm, gooey, & chewy.
Notes
- Baked cookies can be stored in an air-tighter container in a cool dry place for up to 5 days.
- Unbaked raw dough can store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freeze dough or baked cookies for up to 30 days.
- Use vanilla extract instead of almond extract for nut allergies.
- Use dark chocolate chunks instead of white chocolate chips - for those Cherry Garcia ice cream fans.
- Use dried, fresh, or sour cherries pitted/chopped instead of maraschino cherries.
- Opt for cherries made in Italy (Amera Fabbri brand) for a dye-free sweet cocktail cherry.
Nutrition
More Valentine's Day Desserts
Here are some similar recipes that you can make for your sweethearts:
Jennifer Wise says
Oh, oh, oh, this is right up my alley! I would love these. I've printed the recipe and going to try it out. Yum. Thank you for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #55! We hope to see you again at #56 which opens Monday. 🙂
Angela says
I hope you love them as much as we did, they didn't last 24 hours. Please come back & let me know what you think.
Jennifer Wise says
Mine will not last that long, either! 🙂 I've been sick but now that I'm up and around, the ingredients are on my shopping list. 🙂
Angela says
I hope you enjoy them & let me know what you think after you gobble them all up.
Jennifer Wise says
Angela, this is the Host's Choice post from the Will Blog for Comments #55 linkup! Congratulations. It will be in the spotlight throughout linkup #56, starting today. You can save the "This Post was a Featured Favorite" image from there to share here with your readers if you'd like. 🙂
Angela says
Wonderful - thank you so much!