Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies are sugary, buttery, shortbread cookies, topped with royal icing and a festive candied cherry center. Not only do they look vintage, they also look really delicious, don’t they!?
It’s day seven! I can’t believe that a whole week has gone by already. I’ve been having way too much fun with this so-called Christmas cookie advent adventure. I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to bake cookies every single day for 24 consecutive days?? (I could be completely alone here! Ha!)
Whenever I get myself into something like this, I always blame it on the blog. Like, baking all of these cookies and working so hard to get everything ready to publish, for example. I keep telling myself that it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the people. You’re the people! And, besides, I get to eat more cookies. That’s a temporary win.
In a week or two, when I can’t fit into any of my clothes, I’ll convince myself once again that it’s something I have to do and I do it for you, my readers. I do it for Lord Byron’s Kitchen. Then, I’ll go out and buy bigger pants; maybe some with elastic in the waist. But, for now, I’m going to enjoy this roller coaster ride I decided to board back on December 1st when I posted my first 24 Cookies of Christmas recipe.
CHRISTMAS AND TRADITIONS
I love Christmas and I love cooking and baking. I can’t think of a better ride to be on than this back-to-back publishing extravaganza! I do hope, Dear Reader, that you are finding inspiration for your holiday baking in these recipe posts. And, I also hope that some of these recipes become Christmas traditions for you and your family like they have mine.
Speaking of traditions, do you have any that you must follow each and every holiday season? I have a few, most of which I have adopted from my childhood, but a few that we have started ourselves and that work well for our little family. Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies, unfortunately, were not one such tradition.
Remember back on day four when I talked about shortbread cookies? Well, unless they came in a can, my mom wasn’t making them. Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies is one of my new traditions. Every year I like to bake a cookie that I can fuss about.
MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES!
Did you know that I’ve been posting a 24 Cookies of Christmas series for a few years now? There are over 100 Christmas cookie recipes that you can find right here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! To make it easier to find, I have created a page for each series. Just click on the image below and you’ll find the full series for that volume all one page!
NO FANCY DECORATING SKILLS NEEDED
I love to work with icing, but I’m really not good at it. Like decorating cakes with frosting, my cookie icing skills are also quite lackluster. That is why these cookies work so well for me. They are so easy to cover with icing and the royal icing recipe that I use for these cookies is not only foolproof, but extremely easy and forgiving to work with.
You can get all fancy and pipe the icing in any way you deem necessary, but I like to fill a Ziploc bag with the royal icing and drizzle the icing all over the top of the cookie, letting it ooze down over the edge.
If all else fails, and your icing skills are weak like mine, use a fork or a small spoon to pick up the icing with and drizzle the icing over the cookie in a random fashion. Just be sure to get enough icing in the middle of the cookie so that the candied cherry sticks to the top.
DON’T LIKE CHERRIES? USE CANDY!
It’s worth mentioning that you don’t have to use cherries for this cookie recipe. If you prefer, you can use candy coated chocolate, like red and green M&Ms, or even candy sprinkles would work. I’ve seen similar cookies with crushed candy canes sprinkled over the top too. Or, if you prefer, just ice the cookie and let it be.
When it comes to these Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies, anything goes. I’ve even turned them into sandwich cookies before by icing the bottom of one cookie and sandwiching another cookie on top. The possibilities are endless, Dear Reader.
While you think about how you’re going to make your version of this cookie your own, of if you’re going to follow the step by step instructions in the recipe card below, I’m going to move onto the next cookie in the series for day eight. This next recipe leaves behind the world of cookies and squares and moves right into the world of balls!
MORE CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS!
In some cases, we want more than a cookie. That’s why I have two more Christmas-themed collections you might want to consider. The first, is my 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas, and the second is my 12 Biscotti of Christmas. Click on the image below to see each collection all on one page with links to each recipe!
STORING, PACKAGING, AND FREEZING
These cookies will stay fresh for about 3-5 days in a covered container and in a cool place. But, if you plan to freeze these cookies, use a food-safe container that can be frozen. 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 cookie freshness locked in!
You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. They will come out of the freezer looking just like they did when you put them in there. Once you thaw them, they will taste just as fresh as the day you first baked them.
To keep them looking their best, layer them in a container with a sheet of parchment paper between each layer. This will prevent the top cookie from sticking to the cherry underneath it. And, it will keep those cherries clean and shiny!
Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie:
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups all purpose flour
For the Icing:
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup glace cherries, halved
Instructions
For the Cookie:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture.
- Add the flour and cornstarch. On low speed, mix into the butter and sugar until well incorporated.
- Divide the dough into two portions, wrap each portion completely in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.
- Roll one portion of the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
For the Icing:
- Once the cookie is completely cooled, whisk together the icing ingredients and set aside.
- Line the cookies up on the cooling rack so that they are evenly spaced. Place a layer of paper towels under the cooling rack for easy clean up. (This will catch the icing if any drips over the side.)
- Transfer the prepared icing to a Ziploc bag. Cut a small hole in one lower corner with scissors. Drizzle the cookies with the icing.
- Top the cookies with the halved glace cherries.
- Allow the iced cookies to sit undisturbed for one hour. This will allow the icing to harden.
- Cookies can be stacked. Store in a food-safe container. Can be frozen up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Catalina says
These cookies look heavenly! I love they are easy to make with easy-to-find ingredients. They are perfect for any occasion
Claudia Lamascolo says
Classics are the best but I never saw them decorated so festively. The royal icing makes them look like decorated ornaments and I am pretty sure that these would be devoured in a minute here. Red and Green cherries really makes them shout holiday <3.
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love these little cherry cookies! the remind me of a cookie that my grandma made when we were kids.
Pavani says
Those cookies look so festive with the cherries on top. I think you have done an excellent job with the icing.
Mahy Elamin says
These cookies are amazing,,followed everything exactly!! They turned out perfectly and I love the fact that they have a subtle sweetness to them, not overpowering like others I’ve tried, Good job Byron!!
Natalie says
You know what? I would really LOVE to be your neighbor right now. I would be a good helper in eating all these delicious cookies you make for photo shooting 😉 These cookies look perfect you know. Just by looking at the photos I get into the Christmas mood. I must make these. I love the buttery taste. And the sweet candied cherries on top.
Nikki Jones says
This recipe must be foolproof because these cookies came out perfect. Will be making again and saving this recipe.