Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread (Printable Version)

Buttery shortbread cookies with bright red maraschino cherries. A festive holiday treat that's easy to make.

# What You 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)

# Directions:

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 well 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 -
  • The combination of buttery shortbread and sweet cherries feels like something from a European bakery but comes together in under an hour
  • These cookies freeze beautifully so you can make them weeks before holiday guests arrive
  • The almond extract complements the cherries in a way that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is
02 -
  • Wet cherries are the enemy of shortbread so pat them with paper towels until they're sticky to the touch
  • Overmixing after adding flour develops gluten and makes these tender cookies tough instead of crumbly
  • The cookies should look slightly underbaked when you take them out because they continue cooking on the hot pan
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable for proper cookie dough formation
  • Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking helps the cookies hold their shape better

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