These Cherry Blossom Cookies are also called Cherry Kiss cookies and they are my families favorite Christmas cookie recipe.
If I don't make them during the Christmas baking season I am in big trouble!
They are also one of our favorite Christmas Cookie Exchange recipes.
Cherry Blossom Cookies are one of the sweetest Christmas treats you can make.
Fluffy little pillows of a almond flavored cookie filled with pieces of maraschino cherries and topped with a Kiss.
The dough is rolled in sugar before baking and when they come out of the oven piping hot you push a Hersey's Kiss into the center.
Each bite is like eating a chocolate covered cherry.
My favorite holiday cookie exchange recipe.
You may have seen me post a picture or two of these cherry blossom cookies in the past few years. It is my all-time favorite Christmas cookie exchange recipe.
I only bake it at Christmas time.
Everyone loves them that tries them.
They are a beautiful pink color from the maraschino cherry liquid that is added to the cookie dough.
How to make Cherry Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (no substitutions) softened
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped maraschino cherries
- granulated sugar
- 48 Hershey's milk chocolate kisses
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350' F degrees.
- Beat butter in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar and salt; beat until combined.
- Beat in cherry liquid and almond extract until combined.
- Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer.
- Stir in the remaining flour and the cherries with a wooden spoon.
- Chill dough for at least an hour.
- Unwrap all the Hersey kisses and set aside.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls, rolling them in your hand.
- Gently flatten the balls into a disk.
- Dip in granulated sugar, covering all sides of the dough.
- Place balls 2 inches apart on a un-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies 10-14 minutes just until the bottom edges are lightly golden.
- Remove each baking sheet of cookies from the oven and immediately press a Hersey kiss into the middle of the hot cookies.
- Let cool about five minutes and carefully move the cookies to a cooling rack without disturbing the soft Hersey kiss. (see notes)
- Cool completely before storing in a single layer in an airtight container.
- Makes 48 Cherry Blossom Cookies
Recipe Expert Tips
- It takes a very long time for the Hersey Kiss to harden after melting on top of the hot cookie. You can speed it up placing the cookies in refrigerator for 20 minutes or so. Be sure the Hersey kisses have hardened before storing or the kiss can be damaged.
- Chilling the dough is not unnecessary but it makes handling the soft cookie dough so much easier.
- Using a 1 inch dough scoop will help make each blossom cookie the exact same size.
- Do not over bake or the bottom will darken. Lining the cookie sheet with parchment paper will help prevent over browning.
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Cherry Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter no substitutions softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup maraschino cherries chopped
- ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough
- 48 whole Hershey's milk chocolate kisses
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350' F. Beat butter in a mixing bowl on medium high speed for 30 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar and salt; beat until combined.
- Beat in cherry liquid and almond extract until combined.
- Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour and the cherries with a wooden spoon.
- Chill dough for at least an hour.
- Unwrap all the Hersey kisses and set aside.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls, rolling them in your hand.
- Gently flatten the balls into a disk.
- Dip in granulated sugar, covering all sides of the dough.
- Place balls 2 inches apart on a un-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies 10-14 minutes just until the bottom edges are lightly browned.
- Remove each baking sheet of cookies from the oven and immediately press a Hersey kiss into the middle of the hot cookies.
- Let cool about five minutes and carefully move the cookies to a cooling rack with out disturbing the soft Hersey kiss. (see notes).
- Cool completely before storing in a single layer in an air tight container.
Recipe Expert Tips
- It takes a very long time for the Hersey Kiss to harden after melting on top of the hot cookie. You can speed it up placing the cookies in refrigerator for 20 minutes or so. Be sure the Hersey kisses have hardened before storing or the kiss can be damaged.
- Chilling the dough is not unnecessary but it makes handling the soft cookie dough so much easier.
- Using a 1 inch dough scoop will help make each blossom cookie the exact same size.
- Do not over bake or the bottom will darken. Lining the cookie sheet with parchment paper will help prevent over browning.
