Christmas Cookie Recipe: White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

White chocolate cherry cookies

Every year at Christmas, I try to mix in a few new cookie recipes into my repertoire. I definitely have my standbys that I swear by and would hear about it if I didn’t make them, but it’s always fun to me to try something new. After all, that’s how recipes become favorites, you have to make them first 🙂 This year, one of my new ones was a white chocolate cherry cookie that sounded delicious and also festively colored. They came out delicious and a batch makes about 50 cookies which are really great if you are a crazy person like me and make way too many cookies this time of the year. Onto the recipe!

A quick note about the almond extract – I used imitation because I am allergic to nuts and the imitation stuff is not derived from nuts at all. Feel free to use the real thing if you do not have nut allergies. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can sub in vanilla extract instead.

Cherry White Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup sugar, divided
  • 1 cup cold butter, cubed
  • ½ cup finely chopped maraschino cherries patted dry
  • 12 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped, divided
  • ½ teaspoon imitation almond extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons shortening
  • Decorations: red glittery sugar, Christmas themed candies

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and ½ cup of sugar. Using a pastry blender (or a fork), mix in the cubed cold butter until the mixture is crumbly.
  3. Cookies on a baking sheetAdd in the cherries, 2/3 cup white chocolate, the almond extract, and the vanilla bean paste. Knead with your hands until the dough forms a ball (it will seem impossible at first that this will ever happen, but I promise it does).
  4. Form the dough into ¾” balls and place them 2” apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Lightly wet the bottom of a small glass and dip it into the remaining sugar. Flatten each cookie with the sugar-lined glass.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through cooking time. You want the edges of the cookies to be lightly browned.
  6. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Melt the remaining white chocolate and shortening in the microwave (I heat in 15-second bursts and stir in between until it’s smooth).
  8. Once the cookies are cooled, dip half of each cookie into the chocolate and let the extra drip off. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and sprinkle with either red sugar or festive candies. Leave them until they are set and then you can store them in an airtight container.

Here is the list of the other cookies I’m making this year if you want some more inspiration for Christmas cookies:

Check out our selection of Christmas gift baskets. The perfect host or hostess or house warming party gift this holiday season.

 

© Featured Photo by GourmetGiftBaskets.com