Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

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Bite into chocolate covered cherry cookies and find a cherry surprise inside.  Simple from-scratch chocolate cookies with a dollop of melted chocolate on top.

Chocolate covered cherry cordials are Matt’s favorite treats. A close second are pecan tassies, but cherries & chocolate holds a special place. Every birthday, Christmas and Father’s Day we make or buy him those little chocolate candies.

During the Christmas season and even on Valentine’s Day, we switch things up and make him chocolate covered cherry cookies. They aren’t quite as sweet as the chocolate covered cherries, but still have that flavor combination you know and love.

chocolate covered cherry cookies with one cut in half

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Makes a large batch of small cookies. 48 cookies total.
  • Perfect for cookie exchanges and gift giving.
  • The dough has to chill, but only for 30 minutes. Perfect timing for getting the kitchen cleaned up.
  • The cherry cookies freeze well and stay soft.

Tips for Making Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

  • Use ½ cup butter, not margarine. Margarine will melt more quickly, making your cookies spread more than you’d like.
  • It’s easiest to mix cookie recipes with a stand mixer or electric mixer. Once you are ready to mix the dry ingredients into the wet, mix on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Shape dough into 1-inch balls. You should get about 48 dough balls.
  • This recipe works best if the cherries are dry. How do you you dry a cherry? We strained the cherries and let them sit on a napkin for several minutes while we mixed the dough. Then use another napkin to dab off any excess juice. This helps them not be so slippery and less of a mess when they come out of the oven.
  • To shape the cookies, roll the refrigerated cookie dough into balls and put them on a cookie sheet, make a thumbprint in the cookie dough. Then place a cherry in the thumbprint before baking.
  • While the cookies are baking, melt chocolate chips and condensed milk in a saucepan. Be sure to keep the heat on very low. If chocolate gets too hot too, it will seize up and become unusable. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Then add 2 to 3 teaspoons of maraschino cherry juice to the melted chocolate.
  • After the cookies are cooled for about 2-3 minutes, place them on a piece of parchment paper or wire rack and spoon or drizzle the melted chocolate on the cookie, just enough to cover the cherry. Or more if you like your cookies messy. 🙂
spoon dolloping chocolate on a cookie
a plate full of chocolate covered cherry cookies
a plate full of chocolate covered cherry cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

4.62 from 13 votes
Bite into chocolate covered cherry cookies and find a cherry surprise inside. Simple from-scratch chocolate cookies with a dollop of melted chocolate on top.
Servings 48 cookies
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

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Ingredients
 

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 2-3 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

Instructions
 

  • In a stand mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
  • Shape the dough into 48 balls, about 1 inch round. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet. 
  • Use your thumb or finger to make a well in the the center of each dough ball. Place one cherry (make sure it is blotted dry) on each cookie in the imprint that you made. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.
  • While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat. 
  • Add the cherry juice and stir until it is smooth.
  • After the cookies are cooled for about 2-3 minutes, place them on a piece of parchment paper or wire rack and spoon or drizzle the melted chocolate on the cookie, just enough to cover the cherry completely.
  • Allow the cookies to cool completely and the chocolate to set before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 48 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 92
Keyword chocolate cookies, christmas cookies

 

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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JENNINE Marie QUIRING
1 year ago

zan I use frozen cherries if I dry them very good. I want to enter them in a contest and the judges to not like the jarred candy cherries

Kelli Snow
3 years ago

Can’t wait to make these! My mom (with my help) made these every year at Christmas time when I was growing up. Most of them would end up on plates of treats to give as gifts, but some of them were always stored in the freezer. I remember sneaking them now and then – so nostalgia may dictate that I eat these frozen. We’ll see! Thanks for letting me relive some great childhood memories.

Lonie
4 years ago

5 stars
When I was about 10 or 11, I made these for our County Fair’s Youth Division Baking Contest and won not only 1st place, but took home my first big purple grand champion ribbon. 🙂

I lost the recipe some years ago, but until then, whenever I baked it for holidays or potlucks it was always a hit. Now I have it again, thanks for sharing!

Alison
9 years ago

so I made these…. Exactly as the recipe stated. And the dough came out crumbly? I had a little bit of a hard time making them not fall apart when making the indentation. Thoughts?

Lizzy T
10 years ago

Thanks for stopping by, Molly!

Amber
10 years ago

I made these today and they are sooo good! The chocolate cherry sauce on the top makes it perfect! 🙂

Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes
10 years ago

Yum-O! Thanks for joining us at Freedom Fridays! {hugs}

Rach D
10 years ago

Yummm! Wow…found your blog on an link up & my mouth is watering…your newest follower 🙂

Ashley @ 3littlegreenwoods
10 years ago

Pinning and Making! Thanks!

David Ryan
10 years ago

Chocolate covered cherry cookies? Mmmm.. Yes please!

dina
10 years ago

they’re cute!