Cherry Kiss Cookies
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If you love chocolate and cherries you are going to love these sweet Cherry Almond Cookies topped with a chocolate cherry Hershey’s Kiss!
There are so many tasty fruits that pair well with chocolate. My favorite combination is chocolate and strawberries.  However, chocolate and cherries are a tasty pairing as well. For something different I like to combine chocolate with oranges.Â
I have many different recipes combining chocolate with fruit. For an easy to make dessert this Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake can’t be beat. In the summer I enjoy eating No Churn Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream. To warm me up Orange Spiced Hot Cocoa is always a winner.Â
However, sometimes I just want an easy to make cookie that has both fruit and chocolate in it. I just got these fun Cherry Cordial Hershey’s Kisses that I thought would be perfect on top of a cookie. Â
What is a Cherry Cordial?
A cherry cordial is a type of candy consisting of a whole cherry soaked in a sugary syrup or liqueur, encased in chocolate. Over time the center becomes sweet and gooey. Â
I decided to make a Cherry Kiss Cookie.  I have a recipe I normally make as a base for these cookies but I was looking for something that was fun and easy to make. Â
These cookies have just five ingredients in them so I was a little worried about how they would turn out. The base of the cookie is flour, powdered sugar, and butter.  It’s then mixed with maraschino cherry juice and almond extract.Â
What are maraschino cherries?
Maraschino cherries are preserved, sweetened cherries that are usually bright red and used as garnishes for cocktails, desserts, and sundaes. Originally, they were made from Marasca cherries and preserved in maraschino liqueur. However, modern maraschino cherries are typically made from any light colored sweet cherries.
Ingredients:
- salted butter (or unsalted if you prefer)
- powdered sugar
- salt (optional if you are using salted butter)
- maraschino cherries in their juice
- almond extract
- all purpose flour
- Hershey’s kisses
To make the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add in the maraschino cherry juice and almond extract and mix well. Stir in the flour. Gently fold in the cherries. Â
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the are firm. Immediately press a Hershey Kiss into each one. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.Â
These cookies were surprisingly tasty!  They are soft and delicate with big cherry flavor.  The chocolate kiss on top makes a nice pairing for the cherries in the cookie.
Can I use a different flavor Hershey Kiss?
Yes! I used the cherry cordial because I had them and they worked well in these cookies. You can use regular Hershey Kisses or dark chocolate kisses as well. The white and milk chocolate Hugs would be delicious with these cookies as well.
The original recipe called for food coloring to be added to the cookies so that they are a bolder pink color but I thought they were pink enough simply with using the maraschino cherry juice. Feel free to add color if you think you need it.
How do you store these cookies?
Store these cookies in an air tight container for up to 5 days.  Because of the cherries you won’t want to keep them any longer than this because the cherries start to break down and the cookies become wet.
Cherry Kiss Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries chopped
- 24 cherry cordial lHershey Kisses unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter, powdered sugar, and salt.
- Add in the cherry juice and almond extract and mix well.
- Slowly add in the flour, mixing until a dough forms.
- Gently fold in the chopped cherries.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
