Last Updated on November 22, 2023 by Sabrina Currie
This recipe makes the best icebox maraschino cherry Christmas cookies ever. Super easy to make, with just 7 ingredients and 8 minutes of mixing, the cookie dough gets refrigerated in a log that's easy to slice and bake for fresh baked cookies whenever you want them! Easily double or triple this recipe for your cookie exchange or easy gifts.
Why You Should Make These Cookies
These maraschino cherry cookies are a classic Christmas cookie studded with sweet chunks of cherries. I love how quickly they come together with just a few basic pantry ingredients. With a taste and texture that's a cross between sugar cookies and shortbread, they're a perfect cookie.
Bake them up for your next holiday cookie tray or cookie swap. Plus, the dough can be refrigerated and baked as needed throughout the holiday season. (Got vegan friends or family? Here are the top 50 vegan Christmas cookie recipes.)
Love cookies? You should try my other easy cookies like Christmas Kiss Cookies, Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies or one of the 75 Christmas Cookies that only use a few ingredients!
Ingredients
Check out these easy and basic ingredients! Sometimes simple is the best 🙂
- Butter - Using real butter gives these Christmas cookies wonderful and authentic flavor. I highly recommend real dairy butter for these if possible, for best results. You'll need softened but not melted butter so leave your butter out to come to room temperature as soon as you decide you'd like to make these cookies.
- Maraschino Cherries - Chopped maraschino cherries are the star of the recipe and what sets these buttery cookies apart from the rest. You can use the dry packed cherries or the cherries bottled in maraschino cherry juice. If using the cherries in their juice, drain them before chopping and using in the cookies. Reserve strained juice for making Shirley Temple drinks or other Christmas cherry flavor cocktails. Find them in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.
- White Sugar - This recipe calls for white granulated sugar. Other sugars are not recommended for ideal results. If you must, brown or coconut sugar are the best alternatives but will darken your cookies and the texture will not be exactly the same.
Substitutions + Variations
- Butter or Margarine - I love butter in my cookies but you can absolutely substitute firm margarine in place of butter if you wish. Be sure to use the hard baking margarine and not the very soft tubs of margarine.
- Valentine Variation - To make these for Valentine's Day, use all red maraschino cherries for white cookies with hot pink polka dots.
- Barbie Theme - Also perfect for a Barbie themed party, add a few drops of red food coloring for perfect pink cookies with delish cherry flavor.
- Fruit Cake - For a flavor reminiscent of Christmas fruit cake, use candied fruit instead of just cherries. You can make your own mix of dried (or rum soaked) apricots, raisins, cranberries, figs and ginger or buy chopped Christmas fruit meant for fruitcakes.
- Cherry Almond Cookies - Swap out one teaspoon vanilla extract for one teaspoon almond extract for a festive and nutty addition to this easy recipe.
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies - Add in ½ cup of milk or dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips along with the chopped cherries for a chocolate twist to this classic. Alternatively, prepare the cookies as directed and top with a milk chocolate Hershey's kiss in the center of each cookie for a Christmas kiss cookie.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Buttery cookies with real vanilla extract and sweet, juicy maraschino cherries make the perfect cookie recipe for Christmas. Whip up these easy cookies in no time, they're great for cookie exchanges, Christmas parties or for Santa on Christmas Eve. With a prep time of 8 minutes, just give the dough time to chill (2 hours) before baking.
Step 1. In a large bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) until light and fluffy.
Step 2. Add egg and vanilla and blend well.
Step 3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour and salt) well. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and mix just until combined.
Step 4. Add chopped maraschino cherries.
Step 5. Stir well, until cherries are evenly distributed.
Step 6. Dump cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a log about 10 inches long and 1 ½ inch thick (Soft dough will firm up considerable in the fridge)
Step 7. Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).
Step 8. Preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and unwrap. Cut cookies into ½ inch thick slices.
Step 9. Arrange cookie rounds on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are set and beginning to turn golden brown
Step 10. Remove from the oven, let cool 5 minutes and then use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Expert Tips
This is a great make ahead-cookie dough recipe. My favorite tip is to make logs of this dough ahead of time and store it in your fridge for last minute baking.
These buttery cookies studded with sweet cherries are easy and generally foolproof, as long as you use the ingredients listed. Again, using real butter instead of margarine will make the best difference.
Storing, Freezing, Thawing + Baking Cookie Dough
Raw, unbaked icebox maraschino cherry Christmas cookies keep well. The unbaked cookie dough log can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or pop the long log of dough into the freezer, well wrapped for up to 6 months. Take out, thaw if needed, then slice and bake as directed.
Baked cherry Christmas cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or in the freezer for 4-6 months. When storing, separate each layer with a sheet of parchment or wax paper.
Pin It For Next Time
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More Christmas Recipes
For more delicious holiday baking, try these easy and beautiful Christmas recipes.
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Best Maraschino Cherry Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped candied cherries. I used a mix of red and green
Instructions
- Beat softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer (or stand mixer) until light and fluffy, then add egg and vanilla and beat until mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix just until combined. Stir in candied cherries.
- Scoop cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a log about 10 inches long and 1 ½ inch thick. The dough will be soft but will firm up in the fridge. Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).
- Set oven rack to the middle, preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheet with ¾"-1" between each cookie.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are set and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool 5 minutes and then use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
BERNADETTE says
Sabrina, this recipe will be a keeper for me. It looks so festive and all the variations you provided will make it very versatile.
Sabrina Currie says
Thank you Bernadette! Definitely a tasty Christmas cookie, isn’t it?!