The cherries look dry when they come out of the jar, but a quick drain isn’t enough for cookie dough. Their syrup can leave wet pockets that soften the dough and make the cookies spread unevenly. I learned to chop and blot them before measuring, and that small bit of prep makes these maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies much easier to handle.
These cookies balance sweet-tart cherry pieces with semisweet chocolate in a soft, buttery dough. The cherries add a bright pop in every bite, while brown sugar keeps the centers tender. I fold the fruit in gently at the end so it stays in pieces instead of disappearing into the dough, then give the dough a short chill before it goes into the oven. You’ll get lightly golden edges, soft centers, and chocolate in every cookie.
Kitchen Note
Give the dough the full 30 minutes in the refrigerator before scooping. It firms up enough to portion neatly, and the cookies are less likely to spread into each other on the baking sheet.
Save these maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies for a bake when you want soft centers, golden edges, and bright cherry bites alongside the chocolate.
Why Wet Cherries Can Throw Off a Cookie Dough
Maraschino cherries bring more than sweetness: they also carry liquid from the jar. If that liquid gets into the bowl, the dough can turn sticky, and the extra moisture makes the cookies less predictable as they bake. Chopping the cherries exposes more surface area, so blotting after chopping matters more than a quick pat on the outside.
Drain the cherries first, chop them, then press them between paper towels until the cut surfaces don’t look glossy. Only then measure the cup of prepared fruit. Measuring before chopping or before blotting can leave you with too much cherry in the dough, and that throws off the balance between fruit and chocolate.
There’s no need to squeeze the pieces until they’re crushed or completely dry inside. You’re removing the syrup clinging to them, not trying to turn the cherries into dried fruit. Once they’re blotted, fold them in gently so the dough holds distinct cherry pieces rather than taking on a pink streak throughout.
What the Butter, Sugars, and Cherries Bring to These Cookies
- Maraschino cherries — Choose cherries with a pleasant, fruity flavor; a familiar grocery-store jar works well here. Chop them into small pieces so they distribute through the dough. If you don’t have them, dried cherries can replace them, but they make a chewier, less sweet cookie without the same bright maraschino taste.
- Unsalted butter — Softened butter creams smoothly with the sugars and gives the cookies their rich base. A standard grocery-store butter is fine; it doesn’t need to be a specialty brand. If you only have salted butter, use it and leave out the added salt.
- Light brown sugar and granulated sugar — Brown sugar adds moisture and a mellow caramel note, while granulated sugar keeps the edges from tasting too soft or heavy. Dark brown sugar can stand in for light brown sugar in the same amount, with a deeper molasses flavor.
- All-purpose flour — It gives the dough enough structure to hold the fruit and chips. For a gluten-free batch, use a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend intended to replace all-purpose flour; blends vary, so the finished texture may be a little more delicate.
- Semisweet chocolate chips — Their bittersweet edge balances the sweet cherries. Any dependable baking chips work; swap in milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie, or use chopped semisweet chocolate for irregular pockets that melt into the dough.
From Creamed Butter to Cookies with Set Edges
Prepare the cherries and dry ingredients
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain, chop, and blot the cherries before measuring them; keep the pieces ready beside the bowl. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl so the leavening is distributed before it reaches the butter mixture. If you see clumps of baking soda, break them up as you whisk.
Cream the butter and sugars until smooth
Beat the softened butter with both sugars in a large bowl for about 2 minutes, until the mixture looks creamy rather than grainy and separated. Add the egg and vanilla, then beat just until they’re combined. If the butter is still cold and lumpy, it won’t blend evenly; pause and let it soften rather than trying to beat the lumps away. Scrape the bowl if butter or sugar is clinging to the sides.
Fold in the chips and cherries without overmixing
Add the flour mixture and mix only until no dry streaks remain. A few seconds of restraint here keeps the cookies tender; once the flour disappears, stop mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and prepared cherries so they’re spread through the dough without crushing the fruit. Covering every bit of flour with extra mixing won’t improve the dough.
Chill, scoop, and bake to a soft center
Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then scoop rounded tablespoons onto the lined sheets with about 2 inches between them. Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through so they brown evenly. Pull them when the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft; they’ll continue to set as they rest. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easy Ways to Change the Cherry-and-Chocolate Balance
A sweeter milk-chocolate batch
Replace the semisweet chips with the same amount of milk chocolate chips. The cookies will taste sweeter and creamier, so this is a good choice if you want the cherries to feel less tart by comparison.
Chocolate chip cookies without the cherries
Leave out the cherries and keep the semisweet chocolate chips. You’ll lose the fruity, sweet-tart bites and have a more familiar chocolate chip cookie, with a little less texture from the mix-ins.
A gluten-free version
Replace the all-purpose flour with the same amount of cup-for-cup gluten-free baking flour. The cookies may have a more delicate, slightly crumbly bite than the wheat-flour version, so let them cool on the baking sheets before moving them.
Storage and Reheating
- Room temperature: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They’ll soften a little as they sit.
- Freezer: Freeze fully cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months; separate layers with parchment to keep them from sticking together.
- Reheating: Warm a cookie briefly in the microwave if you want soft chocolate. Avoid heating it for too long, which can make the cookie tough once it cools.
Questions That Come Up When Baking Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drain the cherries, chop them, and blot thoroughly with paper towels; measure 1 cup after preparing them.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until no dry streaks remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
