Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread (Printable)

Buttery shortbread dotted with sweet maraschino cherries for festive holiday treats.

# 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)

# 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 fully 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 Suggestions:

01 -
  • These cookies melt in your mouth with that classic sandy texture that only good shortbread achieves, while the cherries add little bursts of sweet brightness
  • The dough comes together in under 20 minutes, but they taste like you spent all day creating something special
  • They keep beautifully for a whole week, which means you can bake ahead and actually enjoy Christmas week instead of living in the kitchen
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients matter more than you think here. Cold butter creates streaky dough and these cookies need everything at the same temperature to come together properly
  • When cherries are not dried thoroughly, they will leave little damp spots in the baked cookie. I learned this the hard way and now I press them between multiple layers of paper towels
03 -
  • Position your oven rack in the center position and rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking for even browning
  • Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass dipped in sugar to flatten the cookies without sticking

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