Maraschino Cherry Cookies

Maraschino Cherry Cookies are packed with sweet, bright red, maraschino cherries. Prepared with the most basic of pantry ingredients, these cookies are nothing short of extraordinary, and they taste like an old fashioned Christmas at home!

I’m a huge fan of incorporating candied cherries into my Christmas baking, however, for these snowballs, I thought it might be best to use maraschino cherries instead. Unlike candied cherries, maraschino cherries are packed in sweet, syrupy brine and are super bright red in colour. Candied cherries are sticky and sweet, still bright in colour, but not as glossy and shiny as their counterpart. Candied cherries are often referred to as glace cherries and can be found in green as well as red colours.

Maraschino cherries are often sold in different colours as well, but those different colours are used to identify the flavour of those particular cherries. For example, you can find jars of yellow, green, blue, and orange. Respectively, they would be flavoured lemon, lime, wildberry, and orange.

Red, plump maraschino cherries can vary slightly in taste depending on the manufacturer. They can take on an almond flavour due to the fact that the brine has been prepared with almond extract. They can also take on a sweet vanilla flavour when vanilla extract is used.

You can certainly use candied or glace cherries in this recipe. I used maraschino cherries because I knew the brine would seep into the cookie dough mixture when the chopped cherries were incorporated to create a cookie dough with a pink hue. Pink may not scream Christmas, but I think they are super cute and festive!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series. It’s my fourth series so far this year! And, I’m seriously contemplating publishing a fifth series too! So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 9! Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low fat condensed milk. 
• Almond Extract – I love almond extract paired with cherries, but you can use vanilla extract here too.
• Flour – I’m using all-purpose unbleached flour. This recipe has not been tested with alternative flours.
• Baking Powder
• Maraschino Cherries 
• Confectioner’s Sugar

HOW TO MAKE MARASCHINO CHERRY COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 320 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy – about three minutes. Next, pour in the sweetened condensed milk and beat into the butter for two minutes. Beat in the almond extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again for another minute or two. Finally, add the flour and baking powder. Beat into the butter and milk mixture until mixed through. Add the chopped maraschino cherries. Beat lightly just to combine.

Using a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, portion the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least two inches between each mound of cookie dough. Using a fork, dipped into confectioner’s sugar, create an “X” onto the top of each cookie, pressing straight down. Cookie should be flattened to just over 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave them to cool slightly on the pan for five minutes.
Finally, remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can by accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find an unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze these cookies, you certainly can! Once cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out onto a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Whenever I work with anything covered in confectioner’s sugar or chocolate, I like to use a food-safe, latex glove to prevent getting fingerprints on it as much as possible! Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!