Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies– Tender shortbread cookies with chunks of cherries, filled with homemade chocolate ganache. Pretty and tasty, and perfect for Valentine’s Day!!
My mom came down last year for a day of baking. She brought this cookie recipe with her. It actually called for Hershey kisses, but when I opened up my pantry, some hooligans had eaten all but a handful of the bag. We had already made the dough, so I came up with the idea of filling the cookies with chocolate ganache instead.
We tried like four cookies with a kiss, and filled the rest with ganache. And this happened to be one of those times that having pantry thieves paid off. We actually preferred the cookies with the ganache! It stays nice and soft, so you get a good taste of chocolate in every bite.
These cookies are buttery and just melt in your mouth, and I love the burst of cherry flavor! The cherry juice makes them a lovely pink color, and adds to the flavor. So does the almond extract, so don’t be tempted to leave it out. If you like chocolate covered cherries, you have got to give this recipe a try!
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients needed:
- butter (no substitutes)
- powdered sugar
- almond extract
- maraschino cherry juice
- flour
- salt
- maraschino cherries
- cream
- bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
Beat butter and powdered sugar till creamy. Add the almond extract and cherry juice; beat till well combined. Stir in dry ingredients and cherries. Shape into 1″ balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets and make an indentation in the middle of each cookie with the back of a round teaspoon or your thumb. Bake at 350° for about 8-10 minutes.
While cookies are baking, prepare ganache. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then stir till smooth. Let the cookies cool, then fill with chocolate ganache.
MORE TASTY RECIPES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY:
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cookies
- Heart Shaped Pizza
- Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Hearts
- Easy Heart Quesadillas
- Heart Shaped Brownie Bites
RECIPES FEATURING MARASCHINO CHERRIES:
- Chocolate Chip Cherry Dip
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Maraschino Cherry Bars
- White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp maraschino cherry juice
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup finely chopped maraschino cherries well drained
- ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup cream
- 1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
- Beat butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl till creamy. Add the almond extract and cherry juice; beat till well combined.
- Stir in the flour and salt, then gently stir in the chopped cherries.
- Shape into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Place about an inch apart on silpat lined or lightly greased cookie sheets. Make an indentation in the middle of each cookie with the back of a round teaspoon or your thumb.
- Bake at 350° for about 8-10 minutes. If needed, use the back of the spoon to reform the indentation.
- While cookies are baking, prepare ganache. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat till just barely boiling. Don’t let it scorch!
- Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then stir till smooth. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before using.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then fill with about a teaspoon of chocolate ganache. Let them cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can these be made in advance and frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing these cookies, but I think it should work just fine. I would use waxed paper in between the layers, or crumbs will get in the ganache. If you freeze them, let me know if you have any trouble.
Came to grandma’s n had these home made cookies, don’t know who make them but found these recipe, So gonna make some
I hope you love them!
These are WOW cookies. Look and taste yummy. Thanks for a really good recipe!
So glad to hear you liked them Susan!! Merry Christmas!
Quick question… do you roll the cookie dough in powdered sugar at the end or granulated sugar? And how do you store them if making the day before an event? Can’t wait to try these!
You roll them in granulated sugar before baking. You can store them at room temp in an airtight containter. I recommend placing wax paper between layers so the chocolate stays intact. 🙂
Hi Kara, I stumbled upon your site not looking for cookies, but these pretty things caught my eye. I think they look great for Christmas, too! These I must try. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Regina! Hope you like them. They would be perfect for Christmas!