Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Bite into chocolate covered cherry cookies and find a cherry surprise inside.  Simple from-scratch chocolate cookies with a dollop of melted chocolate on top.

Chocolate covered cherry cordials are Matt’s favorite treats. A close second are pecan tassies, but cherries & chocolate holds a special place. Every birthday, Christmas and Father’s Day we make or buy him those little chocolate candies.

During the Christmas season and even on Valentine’s Day, we switch things up and make him chocolate covered cherry cookies. They aren’t quite as sweet as the chocolate covered cherries, but still have that flavor combination you know and love.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Makes a large batch of small cookies. 48 cookies total.
• Perfect for cookie exchanges and gift giving.
• The dough has to chill, but only for 30 minutes. Perfect timing for getting the kitchen cleaned up.
• The cherry cookies freeze well and stay soft.

Tips for Making Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

• Use ½ cup butter, not margarine. Margarine will melt more quickly, making your cookies spread more than you’d like.
• It’s easiest to mix cookie recipes with a stand mixer or electric mixer. Once you are ready to mix the dry ingredients into the wet, mix on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. You should get about 48 dough balls.
• This recipe works best if the cherries are dry. How do you you dry a cherry? We strained the cherries and let them sit on a napkin for several minutes while we mixed the dough. Then use another napkin to dab off any excess juice. This helps them not be so slippery and less of a mess when they come out of the oven.
• To shape the cookies, roll the refrigerated cookie dough into balls and put them on a cookie sheet, make a thumbprint in the cookie dough. Then place a cherry in the thumbprint before baking.
• While the cookies are baking, melt chocolate chips and condensed milk in a saucepan. Be sure to keep the heat on very low. If chocolate gets too hot too, it will seize up and become unusable. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Then add 2 to 3 teaspoons of maraschino cherry juice to the melted chocolate.
• After the cookies are cooled for about 2-3 minutes, place them on a piece of parchment paper or wire rack and spoon or drizzle the melted chocolate on the cookie, just enough to cover the cherry. Or more if you like your cookies messy. 🙂

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

4.62 from 13 votes

Bite into chocolate covered cherry cookies and find a cherry surprise inside. Simple from-scratch chocolate cookies with a dollop of melted chocolate on top.

Servings 48 cookies

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

• 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 48 maraschino cherries blotted dry (reserve 2-3 teaspoons of the juice)

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2-3 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

Instructions

 

• In a stand mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
• Shape the dough into 48 balls, about 1 inch round. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet. 
• Use your thumb or finger to make a well in the the center of each dough ball. Place one cherry (make sure it is blotted dry) on each cookie in the imprint that you made. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
• While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat. 
• Add the cherry juice and stir until it is smooth.
• After the cookies are cooled for about 2-3 minutes, place them on a piece of parchment paper or wire rack and spoon or drizzle the melted chocolate on the cookie, just enough to cover the cherry completely.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely and the chocolate to set before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 48 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 92

Keyword chocolate cookies, christmas cookies

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