Cherry Blossom Cookies

Cherry blossom cookies are a delightful sweet, often called “cherry kiss cookies” because they have literally been “kissed” with chocolate. These vibrant almond- and maraschino cherry–flavored cookies have a Hershey’s chocolate kiss right at their center, making them a delicious chocolate-cherry dessert.

Cherry blossom cookies make the perfect addition to your holiday spread thanks to their festive reddish color and decadent flavor combination. Whip up a batch of these fruity, nutty chocolate cherry morsels for your next holiday gathering or work function, and enjoy all the accolades that will come your way.

Cherry Blossom Cookies Ingredients

• Butter: Softened butter adds richness and moisture to the cookie dough, giving way to tender, fluffy cookies.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Superfine confectioners’ sugar is lighter and airier than granulated sugar, and gives the cookies a soft, delicate texture.
• Salt: Adding a small amount of salt to the dough enhances the other flavors and balances the sweetness.
• Maraschino cherry juice: The juice from the jar of maraschino cherries adds a pinkish-red hue and a sweet cherry flavor to the cookies.
• Almond extract: Cherry and almond are complementary flavors often paired together. The nutty, aromatic almond extract enhances the sweet fruitiness of the cherries.
• Food coloring (optional): The maraschino cherry juice will give the cherry blossom cookies a subtle pinkish-red color, but if you’d like to give the cookies a deeper, more vibrant hue, red food coloring can be added to the dough.
• Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cookies their structure. It has the right amount of protein (gluten) to provide these cherry kiss cookies with a balanced texture that’s midway between chewy and tender.
• Maraschino cherries: While maraschino cherries are just preserved cherries, not a type of cherry, their familiar vivid red color and sweet candy taste make them a perfect addition to this recipe for cherry blossom cookies.
• Chocolate kisses: Quite literally the centerpiece of these cookies, milk chocolate kisses bring an eye-popping visual appeal to the cookies. The chocolate acts as a creamy, rich contrast to the sweet fruitiness of the maraschino cherry flavors.

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt until they’re blended and smooth.

Step 2: Mix in the cherry juice and extract

Beat in the cherry juice, almond extract and, if you’re using it, the food coloring.

Step 3: Add the flour

Gradually beat in the flour until it’s incorporated, and a dough has formed.

Step 4: Stir in the cherries

Stir in the chopped cherries until they’re evenly mixed into the dough.

Step 5: Shape the cookies

Shape the cookie dough into 1-1/2-inch balls, and place them 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets, leaving room for the cookies to flatten during baking.

Step 6: Bake the cherry blossoms

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms are light brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each one (the cookies will crack around the edges). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Blossom Cookies Variations

• Enhance the cherry flavor: If you want a sweet cherry explosion when biting into these cookies, replace the chocolate kisses with chocolate cherry cordial kisses. Cherry cordial kisses are filled with a liquid cherry-flavored filling that will transform these cookies into the ultimate decadent chocolate-cherry treats.
• Add some nuts: Give these blossoms an extra-crunchy texture (and boost their almond flavor) by mixing almond slivers into the cookie dough. Replace the chocolate kiss with an almond-stuffed kiss for an even bigger crunch.
• Swap the almond for vanilla: If almond flavor isn’t your thing or if you’re avoiding nuts, sub in vanilla extract. The vanilla will add a different flavor profile, complementing the chocolate and enhancing the fruitiness of the maraschino cherries.

How to Store Cherry Blossom Cookies

Store cherry blossom cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. To keep the cookies fresh, line the bottom of the container with waxed paper to create an extra moisture barrier between the container and the cookies. Place the cookies in a single layer, being careful not to overlap them, which could cause them to stick together.

Can you freeze these cherry blossoms cookies?

Yes, you can freeze cherry blossom cookies after they have cooled completely by placing them into a freezer-safe airtight container. Layer the cookies between sheets of waxed paper or parchment to prevent sticking. Place the container in the freezer for up to three months, until you’re ready to consume the cookies. Thaw them at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cherry Blossom Cookies Tips

How do I ensure my cookies don’t stick to the pan?

Greasing the pan should prevent the cookies from sticking, but you can also line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Using parchment paper will prevent the cookies from sticking and make them easier to remove from the baking sheet. Parchment paper also makes cleanup a breeze.

What if my dough is too dry?

Different brands of flour can yield different results when making doughs and batters, as can altitude and humidity. If your cookies are coming out too dry, add additional cherry juice to give the dough more moisture. If the opposite is true and your dough is too sticky, add more flour to give the dough the correct consistency.

What if my cookies are too flat?

If your cherry blossom cookies come out flat from the oven, try chilling the dough first next time. After rolling the cookie dough into 1-inch balls, place them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool thoroughly. Once the dough is chilled, add the balls to the baking sheet and bake them according to the recipe directions.

When can you serve cherry blossom cookies?

Serve cherry blossom cookies on Valentine’s Day, during the Christmas season, or in the springtime when cherry blossom trees are in bloom. Their light pink hue is perfect as a Valentine’s Day dessert or a bright spring dessert, but they are also a fun alternative to the usual peanut butter blossoms on a Christmas cookie tray.