Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread (Printable)

Buttery shortbread dotted with vibrant maraschino cherries for festive occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

→ Add-ins

07 - 3/4 cup maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry, and chopped
08 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
03 - Mix in vanilla and almond extract until incorporated.
04 - Add flour and salt; mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Gently fold in the chopped maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips, if using.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized amounts of dough and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
07 - Gently flatten each cookie with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
08 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until edges are just set and bottoms are lightly golden.
09 - Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • These cookies melt in your mouth with that classic shortbread texture while adding bursts of sweet cherry flavor that nobody sees coming
  • The dough comes together in under fifteen minutes but tastes like you spent all afternoon on something special
02 -
  • Really press those cherries dry with paper towels, because any extra moisture will create gummy spots in the finished cookies
  • These cookies look underbaked when you take them out, but they continue cooking on the hot pan and firm up perfectly
03 -
  • Chill the dough for thirty minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm, which helps the cookies hold their shape better
  • Double the recipe because these disappear faster than you expect during holiday parties

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