Hershey's Kisses sit atop tender cherry shortbread cookies to create these
tasty and adorable little Cherry Kiss Cookies. With their fabulous
cherry-chocolate flavor and beautiful pink hue, they're just perfect for
Christmastime, Valentine's Day, or the sweetest baby-girl baby shower. But
we'll sure take them for everyday snacking, too!
Do you love that fabulous flavor combination of cherry and chocolate? -- If
your answer is a resounding "yes," like mine, then these tasty little Cherry
Kiss Cookies are for you! Or, akin to their
Peanut Butter Blossoms cookie-cousins with the Hershey's Kisses on top, should we call them Cherry Blossom
Cookies? Well, no matter what you call them, these things are just plain good.
To create these delicious little beauties, tender shortbread cookies are
loaded with chopped maraschino cherries and a bit of deliciously-sweet cherry
juice to create their signature cherry flavor. Milk chocolate Hershey's Kisses
are then perched on top as soon as the warm cookies come out of the oven,
creating that fabulous cherry-chocolate flavor duo we love.
Cherry shortbread cookies topped with Hershey's Kisses deliver up that fabulous cherry-chocolate flavor duo we love.
Cherry Kiss Cookies are made with confectioners' sugar rather than granulated
sugar in the dough, giving them a really smooth, tender shortbread texture.
Think of them as similar in texture to a melting moments-type or
Amish sugar cookie, where the cookie just seems to simply melt in your mouth. -- And it's oh-so
good.
With their fabulous flavor and beautiful pink color, Cherry Kiss Cookies are
just perfect for a Christmas day cookie tray, Valentine's Day sweet treat, or the sweetest baby-girl baby shower. But
hey, we'll sure take them for everyday snacking, too!
What's to Love About This Recipe?
- Pretty-in-pink - Cherry Kiss Cookies truly do have a beautiful pink hue. Create a subtle pink color with just maraschino cherry juice, or amp up that color with a bit of red food coloring.
- Fabulous cherry & chocolate flavor - Cherry shortbread cookies topped with Hershey's Kisses deliver up that fabulous cherry-chocolate flavor duo we love.
- Tender shortbread texture - Made with confectioners' sugar in the dough, these cookies bake up with a super tender texture that simply melts in your mouth.
- A fun cherry version of blossom cookies - These little beauties are a fun and delicious cherry version of the iconic Peanut Butter Blossom cookies we all know and love!
- Versatile - Perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or hey -- with that beautiful pink hue, how about a baby-girl baby shower? But we'll sure take them for everyday snacking, too!
Cherry Kiss Cookie Ingredients:
Cherry and chocolate come together beautifully in these tasty little
Cherry Kiss Cookies, but you don't need a ton of ingredients to deliver up
that fabulous flavor duo. It takes just 9 simple ingredients to make these
flavorful cookies. -- And no, it's not a typo that's there's no leavener
(baking soda or baking powder) nor egg in this recipe.
To whip up a batch, you'll need:
- Unsalted butter - Since butter is so important to the cookies' texture, I recommend sticking with real butter rather than substituting margarine in this recipe.
- Confectioners' sugar - Powdered confectioners' sugar gives these cookies their wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture. Do not substitute regular granulated sugar.
- Maraschino cherries & their juice - Chopped maraschino cherries and a bit of their deliciously-sweet juice create the cookies' signature cherry flavor. Simply scoop a bit of the cherry juice straight out of the jar of maraschino cherries.
- Almond extract - Almond beautifully compliments and enhances the cherry flavor of the cookies. A little almond extract goes a long way, so just a 1/2 teaspoon is needed for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour - The "backbone" of the cookie dough that brings structure to it and the finished baked cookies.
- Salt - A bit of salt enhances and rounds out the finished cookies' flavor.
- Red food coloring - Enhances the pink color of the cherry cookies. Using red food coloring is optional, as a more subtle pink color can be achieved with the maraschino cherries and juice alone.
- Hershey's Kisses - Perched on top of each cookie, Hershey's Kisses bring the chocolate element (and "Kiss" portion of the name!) to these Cherry Kiss Cookies. About 30 unwrapped Kisses are needed for this recipe.
How to Make Cherry Kiss Cookies:
Made with a basic cherry-laced shortbread dough, Cherry Kiss Cookies
are pretty easy to make.
Get started by creaming together some butter, confectioners' sugar,
and salt to create the base of the cookie dough. Then add in maraschino cherry juice, almond extract, red food coloring (if
using), and some chopped maraschino cherries. To finish the dough,
gradually beat in all-purpose flour on low speed until everything's
just combined.
Scoop and shape the dough into 1-inch balls, using about 1 & 1/2
tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Place the dough balls on
ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart, and pop them in the
oven to bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Once the cookies are baked, remove the pan from the oven and
immediately place a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie,
pressing down just slightly. The cookies will crack slightly around
the edges. -- That's normal and fine.
Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling
rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you're good to go with enjoying the cherry-chocolate
deliciousness!
Recipe FAQs:
- Can I use dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses or Hershey's Hugs to make Cherry Kiss Cookies? - Yes, you can use dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses or Hershey's Hugs instead of regular milk chocolate Kisses to make Cherry Kiss Cookies if you'd like. We do prefer the flavor of the cookies with regular milk chocolate Kisses much better than when made with dark chocolate Kisses. If you use Hershey's Hugs, be aware they melt more readily than regular chocolate Kisses and may not retain their shape when placed on top of the warm cookies.
- Do I have to use red food coloring when making Cherry Kiss Cookies? - No, you do not have to use red food coloring when making Cherry Kiss Cookies. -- Red food coloring is optional to enhance the pink color of the cookies. A more subtle pink color can be achieved with the dough's maraschino cherries and juice alone.
- Can you freeze Cherry Kiss Cookies? - If you'd like to make Cherry Kiss Cookies ahead of time and freeze them, we recommend freezing the dough before it's baked rather than freezing the finished baked cookies. To freeze Cherry Kiss Cookies, prepare the dough as directed in the recipe, roll it into balls, place on a baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough balls are frozen. Then store the frozen dough balls in a gallon-sized zip-top bag until needed. When you're ready to bake the cookies, thaw the dough balls in a single layer on a plate in the refrigerator. Once thawed, proceed with baking the cookies as directed in the recipe.
Check out these other super tasty cookie recipes:
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love
to have you back soon!
Yield: about 30 cookies
Cherry Kiss Cookies
Hershey's Kisses sit atop tender cherry shortbread cookies to create
these tasty and adorable little Cherry Kiss Cookies. With their
fabulous cherry-chocolate flavor and beautiful pink hue, they're just
perfect for Christmastime, Valentine's Day, or the sweetest baby-girl
baby shower. But we'll sure take them for everyday snacking, too!
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 9 MinTotal time: 39 Min
Ingredients
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 1 c. confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. maraschino cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 6 drops red food coloring (optional)
- 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 c. chopped maraschino cherries
- about 30 Hershey's chocolate Kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt on low speed until blended. Increase to medium speed and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in maraschino cherry juice, almond extract, and food coloring (if using). Then on low speed, beat in chopped maraschino cherries. Gradually, on low, beat in flour until just combined.
- Scoop and shape dough into 1-inch balls (with about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of dough for each). Place on ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350℉ for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms are just starting to turn light golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and immediately place a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing down just slightly. (Cookies will crack slightly around the edges.)
- Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
- I use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough, which makes it really easy to keep the cookies all about the same size.
- After placing Hershey's Kisses in the center of the cookies, don't touch the Kisses again until the cookies are completely cooled. The Kisses do melt (and glisten!) from the heat of the cookies, but keep their shape. If you touch the Kisses at this point, their shape will warp or smush.
- There is indeed no leavener (baking soda or baking powder) nor egg in this recipe. -- That is not a typo in the ingredients list.
- Red food coloring enhances the pink color of the cherry cookies. However, using it is optional. -- A more subtle pink color can be achieved with the maraschino cherries and juice alone.
Thank you Tracy! I have put this recipe on my cookie list. Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteThank you adding these to you cookie list, enjoy.
DeleteMy husband will love these!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting. If you husband is like mine the cookies may be gone before your Christmas party.
DeleteAbsolutely delicious. I did not use red food coloring and they are still a beautiful color.
ReplyDeleteGreat we are do glad you enjoyed!
Delete