Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond, vanilla, or cherry extract
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups all‑purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, for rolling
- 24 Hershey Kisses
This ingredient list matches other maraschino cherry “blossom” or thumbprint cookies that use butter, powdered sugar, cherry juice, chopped cherries, and chocolate kisses.
Step‑by‑step instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, confectioners sugar, and salt together until light and fluffy. Creaming until pale and airy is a common step in cherry shortbread and blossom cookies to ensure a soft, tender crumb. - Add flavorings
Beat in the 1 tablespoon of maraschino cherry juice and your extract of choice (almond, vanilla, or cherry) until smooth. Cherry cookie recipes often use cherry juice plus almond or vanilla for layered flavor. - Add flour
Add 2 cups of all‑purpose flour and mix on low speed just until fully incorporated. Then add additional flour, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the dough resembles playdough—soft but not sticky and easy to handle without clinging to your hands. This “add until it feels like playdough” cue is typical in similar recipes to avoid a crumbly dough. - Fold in cherries
Gently stir in the chopped maraschino cherries just until evenly distributed. Draining them well first helps keep the dough from becoming too wet, a tip frequently mentioned in maraschino cherry cookie instructions. - Shape and roll in sugar
Use a tablespoon‑size cookie scoop to portion the dough into small balls. Roll each ball between your palms to smooth it, then roll it in granulated sugar until fully coated. Sugar‑rolling before baking is standard for blossom‑style cookies to give a delicate crust and sparkle. - Chill the dough balls
Place the sugar‑coated dough balls on a baking sheet or tray and chill for at least 20 minutes. Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape and reduces spreading, a common recommendation for butter‑rich cookies. - Bake
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the chilled dough balls evenly on the prepared sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and just barely starting to turn golden on the bottoms. Cherry blossom cookie recipes typically keep the cookies pale to maintain a soft texture. - Add the Hershey Kisses
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. The cookies will crack slightly around the edges, creating the “blossom” look seen in similar cherry blossom and kiss cookies. - Cool
Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet or transfer carefully to a rack once they firm up slightly. Let the chocolate kisses set before storing or stacking.
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