Description
These Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring buttery shortbread dough studded with sweet maraschino cherries and rich chocolate chips. Perfectly crisp yet tender, these festive cookies offer a wonderful balance of flavors and textures, making them ideal for holiday gatherings or gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix-ins
- 3/4 cup maraschino cherries, chopped (drained on paper towel or use candied maraschino cherries)
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Beat the room temperature unsalted butter with powdered sugar and vanilla extract using a mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, creating a smooth cream base for the dough.
- Combine Flour and Salt: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and salt, then gradually add this to the butter mixture. Knead the mixture gently to form a consistent dough.
- Add Cherries and Chocolate Chips: Fold in the chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough to ensure flavorful bites in every cookie.
- Shape and Chill Dough: Place the dough onto cling film and shape it into a log by pressing with your hands. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour to firm up the dough for easier slicing.
- Slice and Bake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, slice it into round cookie shapes, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. This ensures a crisp texture while keeping the centers tender.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or serving plate to prevent breaking and maintain shape.
Notes
- If the butter is too hard, chop it into small pieces and melt slightly in the microwave to soften for easier creaming.
- Using small chocolate drops or chips makes slicing the dough log into cookies simpler and less crumbly.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to achieve the proper firmness needed for clean slicing.
- If the dough crumbles or breaks when slicing, gently hold the cookies together with your fingers while transferring to the baking sheet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
