No chill cherry almond cookies are made with maraschino cherries and almond extract. They are soft and chewy drop cookies perfect for Easter, Christmas, Valentine's Day or just because you love the classic cherry and almond combination!
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Sunny spring weather always has me dreaming of summer. Okay, honestly I'm always dreaming of summer! The PNW has some of the most delicious cherries and enjoying those fresh cherries is one of my favorite parts of summer.
Cherry and almond is such a classic flavor combo, at least as famous as cherry and chocolate, right??? So I wanted to find a way to enjoy this flavor with a sweet twist when it isn't cherry season; by adding maraschino cherries, like I do in my cherry chip cake.
For other recipes with fresh or frozen cherries, try dark chocolate cherry shortbread, cherry almond scones or homemade cherry pop tarts.
why you will love these drop cookies
- No waiting from ingredients to warm up.
- A one bowl recipe {you're busy and need fewer dishes to wash!}
- No chill time required!
- Melted butter = soft and chewy cookies that are full of cherry almond flavor.
ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- Butter ~ this cookie recipe calls for unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, just leave out the kosher salt. The butter gets melted, so no planning ahead. 😉
- Sugar ~ use both granulated and brown sugars. I wanted these cherry almond cookies to have more of a sugar cookie flavor, so there is a higher amount of white sugar in this recipe.
- Egg ~ just one large egg needed and it can come straight from the refrigerator. The egg brings structure and binds the ingredients together.
- Almond extract ~ adds the lovely almond flavor. I always use Cooks almond extract, my local market carries it, but you can also buy it on Amazon.
- Vinegar ~ reacts with the baking soda to add thickness and also adds to the soft texture of the cookies. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used.
- Baking soda ~ adds some lift and thickness to the cherry almond cookies.
- Kosher salt ~ helps to balance the sweetness.
- All-purpose flour ~ be sure to spoon and level the flour or use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measuring.
- Maraschino cherries ~ sometimes called cocktail cherries. I buy my maraschino cherries at Target, but most major grocery stores will carry them. They can usually be found with the ice cream toppings or in the baking section. Although occasionally they will be with the canned fruit. You will also use some of the juice from the jar of cherries in the easy dough.
how to make cherry almond cookies
Start by removing the maraschino cherries from their juice {remove the stems if they have them} and place on a layer or two of paper towels.
Then slice each cherry in half and then each half into 6 pieces {giving you 12 small pieces per cherry}. Move the sliced cherries onto another paper towel. Once all the cherries are in small pieces, blot them dry with another paper towel and set aside while you make the cookie dough.
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
In a medium to large bowl, melt the butter. Then add both sugars and whisk until fully incorporated {first photo below}.
Next add the egg, almond extract, cherry juice and vinegar and whisk until the mixture is combined {second photo below}.
Sprinkle the baking soda and kosher salt over the mixture and stir well {third photo below}.
Then add the flour and stir until just a little bit of flour remains showing.
Fold in the chopped and dried maraschino cherries.
Use about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie {I like using a size 30 scoop} and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to rest on the pan 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. If the cookies haven’t flattened as much as you’d like, bang the pan on the counter once or twice and use a large round cutter to “scoot” the cookies into a perfectly round shape, if desired.
tips for soft and chewy cookies
- Prepare the cherries first as you want most of the moisture removed from them. See above for tips on drying the cherries.
- Work gently once you add in the maraschino cherries so you don't overwork the cookie dough.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniform cookies. A size 30 scoop is my favorite!
- Be careful not to over bake the cherry almond cookies. To achieve the soft texture, you want them slightly under baked in the center. They will continue to bake as they cool.
- If the cookies haven’t flattened as much as you’d like, drop the pan on the stovetop or counter a few times when the pan is hot from the oven.
- For that bakery style cookie look, "cookie scoot" when the cookies are hot out of the oven. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter that is a little larger than your baked cookies and scoot it around the edges of the hot cookies while still hot on the baking pan. This smooshes in any unruly edges and creates perfectly round cookies. {I use this biscuit cutter set all the time!}
frequently asked questions
can I use almond flour?
Yes, but in combination with all-purpose flour. Use 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour {172g} and ½ cup almond flour {56g}. This is the same combo I use in my butterscotch pretzel cookies.
can I use fresh cherries?
This drop cookie recipe was developed for maraschino cherries, which taste very different from fresh cherries. I suspect you could prepare fresh cherries the same way and add them, but the flavor of the cookies won't be the same. Please let me know if you try it!
would white chocolate work in this recipe?
The maraschino cherries bring a lot of sweetness to this cookie! As much as I love white chocolate, I think it would make the cookies too sweet. But chocolate would be delicious; add ½ cup of chocolate chips with the maraschino cherries.
how to store
Store cherry almond cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
The cookies also freeze well for up to three months; allow them to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Cherry Almond Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
more no chill cookie recipes
- Sprinkle Cookies
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
- German Chocolate Cookies
- Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
Cherry Almond Cookies {No Chill}
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
- 1 - 12 ounce jar maraschino cherries* diced small and patted dry 340g
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted 113g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- ¼ cup brown sugar 50g
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1 teaspoon vinegar**
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 220g
Instructions
- Remove the maraschino cherries* from their juice (remove the stems if they have them) and place on a layer or two of paper towels. Then slice each cherry in half and then each half into 6 pieces (giving you 12 small pieces per cherry). Move the sliced cherries onto another paper towel. Once all the cherries are in small pieces, blot them dry with another paper towel and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a medium to large bowl, melt the butter (½ cup/113g). Add both sugars (¾ cup/150g granulated and ¼ cup/50g brown) and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add the egg (1 large), almond extract (1 teaspoon), cherry juice (2 teaspoons) and vinegar*(1 teaspoon). Whisk until the mixture is combined and smooth.
- Sprinkle the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) over the mixture and stir well. Then add the flour (1 ¾ cups/220g) and stir until just a little bit of flour remain. Fold in the chopped and dried maraschino cherries.
- Use about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like using a size 30 scoop) and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You should get about 18 cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to rest on the pan 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. If the cookies haven’t flattened as much as you’d like, bang the pan on the counter once or twice and use a large round cutter to “scoot” the cookies into a perfectly round shape, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Monsie says
Am I able to use fresh cherries with this recipe?
Tasia says
Hi Monsie, I address this question in the frequently asked question section of this post, which tells you how to use them. Fresh cherries will taste different than maraschino cherries. I haven't tested this recipe with fresh cherries, but don't know why it wouldn't work. Please let me know how they turn out.
Donna says
can I use chopped almonds in this recipe also?
Tasia says
Hi Donna, I've not tested this, but typically nuts can be added to cookie recipes with no other changes. I'd likely do about a 1/2 cup for this recipe. Let me know how it goes, happy baking!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
I agree that cherries and almond make one of the most delicious flavour combinations! Using maraschino cherries for cookies is a wonderful idea, and I 100% support the option to add in some dark chocolate.
Tasia says
I'm so happy to hear you love this flavor combo Ben, it truly is magical!
Michelle says
Ahh! These soft and chewy cherry almond cookies look divine, and after visiting my parents (who happened to have a tub of maraschino cherries)... I need to get some ASAP to make these!
Tasia says
Thanks Michelle, I love that your parents have a tub of maraschino cherries!
Kathleen says
Oooh my, I have one of my boys who goes crazy for maraschino cherries! Making these ASAP!
Tasia says
Thank you Kathleen! My girls also go crazy for maraschino cherries and they devour these cookies!
Suzi says
These cookies were delightful! They were moist, chewy and very flavorful. I will be making them again!!!
Tasia says
Hi Suzi, so happy to hear you loved these cookies! Thank you for coming back to leave a review!
Karah says
Thanks for the recipe! The flavor was great, and drizzling them with melted chocolate took them up a notch. The texture wasn’t quite what I was expecting- they were softer/more cake like.
Tasia says
Glad you enjoyed them Karah!
Happy mama says
These were so delicious! Soft and chewy is the only way my daughter will eat cookies (ikr!) and these fit the bill! Thank you for posting this recipe as well as additional recipes, I want to try the cherry almond scones next 😊
Tasia says
Hi Happy mama, thank you for coming back to leave a review. I'm with your daughter, soft and chewy is my favorite :-). I'm so happy you loved the cookies. You'll love the cherry almond scones!
Rhonda McCreedy says
What does the vinegar do in this recipe? Thankyou looking forward to making & trying this one.
Rhonda
Tasia says
Hi Rhonda, I do cover what the ingredients do within the blog post under ingredients and substitutions --> Vinegar ~ reacts with the baking soda to add thickness and also adds to the soft texture of the cookies. Either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used. Hope that clarifies it for you. Happy baking!
Cissie Stancill says
These were delicious. I followed the recipe and thank you for putting the measurements in the directions.
Tasia says
Hi Cissie, thank you for coming back to leave a review. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this cookie recipe! Also glad the ingredient amounts in the written directions is helpful.
Andrea Javed says
I let my son pick out which recipe we were going to try and he picked this one and I'm glad he did it was delicious I added a little extra almond because I love almond extract and also added mini chocolate chips to half the batch this recipe is definitely a keeper 😋🤗 Thanks Two Sugarbugs can't wait to try another
Tasia says
Aww, thank you for sharing this Andrea. I love that you and your son baked some memories together! I need to try adding mini chocolate chips the next time I bake them.
Jeff Borden says
I made these with tart cherries off my tree that I had in the freezer. mine turned out a little darker from the darker cherry juice but they were excellent. I will make these many more times. they are very almond forward which is good but next time a may add a little less. Very good , two thumbs up!
Tasia says
Hi Jeff, I am happy to hear you loved these cherry almond cookies. I love that you used homegrown cherries!
Lena says
Thanks for this recipe! I especially appreciated you putting the measurements in the instructions! Question: I just made these for the very first time, they’re cooling now. I followed every instruction and step to a T and weighed precisely with a food scale. The only change I made was a tiny splash of extra almond extract. However, my cookies never flattened out and look more like scones. I tried banging the pan as soon as they were out and “scooting” the edges, which did make them round, but they’re still quite tall and scone-like and not flat. Since I measured everything exactly, I’m wondering what went wrong? I tried not to overmix the flour as well, but it did take a bit of folding since it seemed quite dry at first.
Tasia says
Hi Lena, it's always a challenge to trouble shoot from afar; I wonder if your oven is running a little on the hot side? A hotter oven can cause the cookies to set faster and not spread as much. Since you measured with a scale, I don't think you had too much flour, but over mixing can sometimes contribute to lack of cookie spread. I don't know where you live and I'm not familiar with high altitude baking (I live in sea level Seattle), but I wonder if that plays any sort of a role? Hopefully they tasted good! p.s. banging the pan often works for me, but if cookies don't spread as much as I would like them to, I sometimes use a flat bottomed cup to lightly flatten them when hot from the oven as well.
Sara S says
Hi, i love to try this however i think i may need some help. The end result before putting them into the oven at 350, they were very dry and was not moist at all. I put them in now and currently waiting for them to brown. while scooping them with a dough scooper, they were falling apart and crumbling into crumbs. I may have to find another reciepe but im also trying your butterscotch cookie recipe and my fingers are really crossed tight for that one. What could have happened? ugh..
Tasia says
Hi Sara, it sounds to me like you had too much flour. This dough shouldn't be dry and crumbly. A trick I use when the dough seems too dry is to add egg white to dough until it reaches the right consistency; usually a tablespoon or two will rescue a dry cookie dough. Crossing my fingers for you for the rest of your baking!
Jenny says
Just made these cookies and will definitely make again! Thank you for the recipe.
Tasia says
Hi Jenny, thank you for coming back to leave a review! I am happy to hear you enjoyed this cookie recipe!
JoAnn says
I am attending a cookie swap and need to take cookies of course. For my planning purposes, how many cookies did this recipe make? If you have it in the recipe or description, I apologize for not reading more carefully
Tasia says
Hi JoAnn, this recipe makes 18 cookies (FYI, it's at the very top of the recipe card). Have fun at your cookie swap and happy baking!
Elise says
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! One bowl and no mixer. I added 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips for the chocolate covered cherry flavor. My new favorite.🍒
Tasia says
Hi Elise, thank you for the sweet comment! I love the addition of chocolate chips, they must have been delicious!
Lynda Jo says
This is a good recipe, I would say 4.5 stars. I made frosting with cherry pie filling and they were great. I messed up and mine had a bread like texture, but were really good nonetheless.
Tasia says
Hi Lynda, frosting with cherry pie filling sounds delicious!! Typically cookies that come out bread like have either been over mixed or have too much flour. If not weighing your ingredients, be sure to use the spoon and level method for measuring flour. I am happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies!
kaydee says
Can salted butter be used omitting the salt from the recipe?
Tasia says
Hi Kaydee! Yes, that can be done, happy baking!
Natalie Luttrell says
I loved this recipe but I found it a little too soft the next day. If I take out the vinegar, would it mess up the recipe and possibly make them more firm? Thank you.
Tasia says
Hi Natalie, I am happy to hear you loved these cookies. You can leave the vinegar out and it should not have any impact on the taste. You will have to let me know if it makes them more to your desired texture. Happy baking!
Aimee says
Could you make the dough ahead of time and freeze it so you can make the cookies anytime you want?
Tasia Harper says
Hi Aimee, as I said in the notes section of the recipe card - I have not tested freezing this cookie dough prior to baking. I suspect it would work fine! Once you have scooped the cookie dough into balls, chill them until firm. Then place in an airtight container or zip-top bag and place in the freezer. When ready to bake the cookies, place the dough balls on a baking sheet while the oven preheats then bake as directed. Let me know if you try it.