Cherry & Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Delight in these Cherry & Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies, a perfect blend of sweet cherries, crunchy almonds, and melty chocolate pieces baked to golden perfection. Soft and chewy with a rich buttery base, these cookies bring a sophisticated twist to the classic chocolate chip cookie with almond and maraschino cherry accents.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: 16-18 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled off)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter, softened (not melted)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large egg
Mix-ins
- ½ cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
- 2 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate (from a bar)
- ¼ cup chopped pitted maraschino cherries (patted dry)
- ⅓ cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract for about 2 minutes until fluffy and incorporated.
- Add Egg: Add the large egg to the creamed mixture and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer and mix just until no dry pockets of flour remain. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Fold in Mix-ins: Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, chopped bittersweet chocolate, chopped almonds, and maraschino cherries using a spatula for even distribution.
- Chill Dough: Scoop the dough into cookie-sized balls using a tablespoon or cookie scoop. Place the dough balls on a tray, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days to enhance flavor and texture.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and space dough balls adequately to allow spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden around the edges but still soft in the middle.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack or serving. Enjoy your delicious cherry and almond chocolate chip cookies!
Notes
- Using salted butter enhances flavor, but unsalted butter works fine if preferred.
- Ensure maraschino cherries are pitted and thoroughly patted dry before chopping to avoid excess moisture in the dough.
- Whole almonds work great, but slivered or blanched almonds are acceptable alternatives.
- Chopped bittersweet chocolate gives a wonderful melty texture contrasting with the more solid chocolate chips.
- This recipe yields approximately 16-18 cookies depending on scoop size.
Keywords: cherry cookies, almond cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chewy cookies, holiday cookies, baking with cherries, chocolate chip almond cherry cookies
