Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
These Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies have chopped maraschino cherries in the dough and are topped with a Hershey’s Kiss while they’re still warm. Perfect for Christmas or Valentine’s Day!
Creating These Cherry Kiss Cookies
Our latest Christmas cookie experiment was this recipe for chocolate cherry Kiss cookies.
For these chocolate cherry Christmas cookies, I originally had chocolate thumbprint cookies with jam centers in mind. During a stroll down the Christmas candy aisle at Target, I was reminder how much our family loves the Cherry Cordial Hershey’s Kisses — a special flavor available seasonally for Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
Of course, I tossed a bag or two into the cart. Then on Pinterest I saw this fun recipe for Cherry Chocolate Kisses.
I decided to combine the two ideas to create a chocolate cherry blossom cookies in the center. The result was delicious!
These chocolate cherry cookies are now a family favorite at Christmas!
Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
These Maraschino cherry cookies require a couple special ingredients, but they’re all easy to find at your local grocery store.
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Maraschino cherries + their juice
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cocoa powder
- Whole cane sugar
- Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates filled with Cherry Cordial Crème (if available)
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
Here’s an overview of how the chocolate cherry Kiss cookies are made. Keep scrolling for detailed instructions in the recipe card below!
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to low, add the powdered sugar, and stir until mixed.
- Add the cherry “juice” and vanilla extract.
- With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture a 1/2 cup at a time.
- Add the chopped maraschino cherries.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 15-20 minutes.
- Shape the dough into 36 one inch balls.
- Dip both sides of the cookie into the coarse organic whole cane sugar.
- Place the balls on parchment-lined baking sheets. With your thumb, press into the center of the dough.
- Bake cookies at 325 degrees F for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and place a Hershey’s Kiss in the center of each cookie.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
How to Store Cherry Kiss Cookies
The chocolate cherry cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. They can also be frozen for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw on your counter for an hour or so.
Can I Use Regular Hershey’s Kisses?
Yes! If the specialty Kisses aren’t available when you’re baking the Maraschino cherry cookies, feel free to use regular milk chocolate Hershey’s Kisses.
Recipe Variations to Try
If you don’t like cherries or can’t find this seasonal kiss flavor from Hershey’s, you can totally customize the recipe. Or, maybe you just feel like making some other flavors along with these chocolate cherry blossom cookies.
Really, you can put whatever you want in the center of the thumbprint, but here are a few ideas:
- Candy Cane Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies — Add crushed candy cane to the batter and place candy cane Hershey’s Kisses in the middle.
- Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies — Add shredded coconut to the batter and place a Hershey’s Kisses filled with Coconut Creme on top.
- Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies — Leave out the cherries from the batter and top with a Hershey’s Kisses filled with caramel. Or, try adding either Caramel Sauce with Vanilla and Bourbon or Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramel to the center.
- Orange Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies — Add diced candied orange peel bits to the batter and fill the center with orange marmalade.
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Jam — Leave out the cherries and add your favorite jam flavor to the center: raspberry, marmalade, strawberry, etc.
- Raspberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies — Leave out the kiss from the center and instead, fill the center with homemade raspberry curd.
More Unique Christmas Cookies:
Be sure to check out the Christmas Recipes Archive and the Dessert Recipe Archives if you need help building the rest of your holiday treat plans.
Candy Cane Sugar Cookie Bars are super festive with red and green funfetti and crunched up candy cane sprinkled on top.
For a fun, unique twist on gingerbread cut out cookies, try these Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies!
These Pecan Thumbprint Cookies have a spiced cookie base that’s topped with a pecan half, caramel sauce, and then drizzled with melted chocolate.
Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies are topped with optional toasted marshmallows for the perfect summer-meets-fall dessert. The cookies are also delicious on their own!
These Swedish Cookies are a unique Christmas cookie recipe that your family will love! They feature buttery crescent cookies studded with chopped almonds.
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Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
These Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies have chopped maraschino cherries in the dough and are topped with a Hershey's Kiss while they're still warm.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry "juice"
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 1/2 cup coarse organic whole cane sugar
- 36 Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates filled with Cherry Cordial Crème, unwrapped (or sub regular Hershey's Kisses)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place rack in the center most position of the oven.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter to the bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to low, add the powdered sugar, and stir until mixed. Scrape down the sides with a spatula if necessary.
- Add the cherry "juice" and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing in between additions and scraping the sides of the both with a spatula as needed.
- Add the chopped maraschino cherries and stir until evenly incorporated into the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 15-20 minutes.
- Shape the dough into 36 one-inch balls. If the dough feels sticky, slightly wet hands will help with rolling the balls. Slightly flatten the rounded ball using the palms of your hands.
- Dip both sides of the cookie into the coarse organic whole cane sugar.
- Place the balls on parchment lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
- With your thumb or the back of a greased round 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, press into the center of the dough.
- Bake cookies at 325 degrees F for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and immediately place a Hershey's Kiss in the center of each cookie.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
vagabonde says
I had planned to bake some chocolate cookies with cherries marinated in brandy. I’ll try mine and also your recipe – sometimes my creations don’t work… I found your blog through the cookbook my husband gave me for Christmas. I made your cranberry crumb bars and showed the photos on my blog. I also created a link to your blog in case anyone would like to bake them. They are very good.
Meagan Marion says
Sounds wonderful, I love the photos you have too. Snowballs are my holiday cookie this year, with a Hershey kiss in the middle. What a great idea to mix up the flavor a bit by adding a specialty Hershey kiss though. I’ll have to try that in my next batch of cookies.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
These look amazing! And I love all the different flavors of Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms, etc. that have popped up the last few years. Not that we actually get any of that here in Germany. 😉
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas, Katie! And enjoy the rest of the holiday season. It’ll be over so soon (which I’m pretty happy about!)
Renae M says
I made these today and they’re really delicious. Because my grandson cant have FDA Dye #40, I used Chukar Cherries’ Marashino Cherries and filled some of the thumbprints with Chukar Cherries’ Sour Cherry Preserves. I also used Special Dark cocoa powder. The cookies came out wonderfully.