Description
These Christmas Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and bursting with festive flavors. Featuring maraschino cherries and chocolate chips folded into a classic shortbread dough, these cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations. The dough is chilled to ensure easy slicing and a delightful crumbly texture once baked to a golden finish at 325°F.
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 and well drained
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare the Butter Mixture: Beat room temperature unsalted butter with powdered sugar and vanilla extract using a mixer until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy. This step ensures a smooth base for your shortbread dough.
- Add Flour and Salt: Combine the all-purpose flour with salt and sift it into the butter mixture. Knead gently until it forms a dough. This gives the shortbread its structure and crumbly texture.
- Incorporate Cherries and Chocolate: Fold in the chopped, well-drained maraschino cherries and chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough, distributing the festive flavors.
- Shape and Chill Dough: Place the dough onto a piece of cling film, shape it into a log by pressing with your hands, then wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for at least one hour, allowing the dough to firm up for easy slicing.
- Slice and Bake: Remove the dough log from the fridge, slice into round cookies, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (163°C) for about 15 minutes until cookies are lightly golden.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack or serving plate. This helps them firm up and prevents breakage.
Notes
- If the butter hasn’t reached room temperature, cut it into pieces and melt slightly in the microwave for easier mixing.
- Use small chocolate drops or chips to make slicing the dough log into cookies easier and prevent chunks from dislodging.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour to ensure it firms up properly for slicing.
- If the dough crumbles when cutting, gently hold the cookies with your fingers to keep them intact.
- Drain maraschino cherries well by spreading them on paper towels to avoid excess moisture which could affect the dough texture.
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: 30mg
