White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies {Christmas Cookie}

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies – buttery cookies filled with chunks of juicy cherries and white chocolate, dipped in more white chocolate. A perfect holiday cookie!

I love giving homemade treats for the holidays, especially fresh baked cookies like these. Some of my favorites are White Dipped Gingersnaps, Brown Sugar Shortbread, and M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Since I love maraschino cherries in baked goods, when I saw the recipe for these little shortbread cookies with cherries and white chocolate, I knew I had to give them a try. My family sampled them as soon as the chocolate set, and they were a huge hit to say the least.

I let everyone have two, and even the non-cherry lovers kept begging for more until I threatened to make them wash dishes if they didn’t stop bothering me. Not really. I am a perfect mom and I never get irritated by my wonderful children. Haha.

If you like white chocolate or cherries, you should give this easy shortbread recipe a try. Like soon. They are buttery and just melt in your mouth. The white chocolate makes them extra yummy! Plus they look so pretty with the little cherries peeking out. 

How to Make Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients needed:

• maraschino cherries
• all purpose flour
• sugar
• butter
• white chocolate chips
• almond extract
• vegetable oil and shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. Add the cherries, almond extract, 2/3 cup white chocolate, and food coloring if desired.

Knead for a few minutes till the dough becomes smooth. \ Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on cookie sheets. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to flatten each of the balls out. Bake at 325° for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

In a small glass bowl, melt the shortening in the microwave. Add the 1 1/3 cups white chocolate. Microwave at half power, stirring every 30 seconds, till smooth. Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper or silicone pan liners till chocolate sets up.

HOW TO STORE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

If stored in an airtight container, these cookies will last for up to a week. To store them longer, you can freeze them. I like to use heavy duty ziplock freezer bags.

PRO TIPS:

-Let the butter sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, or till it is barely softened. If it is too hard, it is challenging to get it worked into the flour mixture.

-Make sure to drain the cherries well, or the dough will be too wet, and loose the shortbread texture.

-Use your hands to mix in the cherries and chopped chocolate. A mixer can tend to make the cookies tough. And I have found that using my hands is much faster than using a spoon. 

-Use vegetable oil or shortening when melting the white chocolate. Butter and margarine have water in them, and they can cause the chocolate to seize up and turn lumpy.

A VERSATILE SHORTBREAD RECIPE

These cookies perfect addition to any Christmas cookie tray, and they are great for neighbor gifts. But because of their pretty pink color, they are also great for bridal showers, baby showers, and Valentines Day. I just served them at my daughter’s baby shower, and they were a big hit!

VARIATIONS:

• Switch up the type of chocolate in the cookies, or the dipping chocolate. You could use semi sweet or dark chocolate for one or both of them.
• We love the almond flavor with the cherries, but you can substitute vanilla extract if you prefer.

MORE MARASCHINO CHERRY RECIPES:

• Maraschino Cherry Bars
• Cherry Almond Mousse Pie
• Chocolate Cherry Cookies
• Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Cherry Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate

Yield: 4 dozen

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Print

Buttery cookies loaded with chopped white chocolate and cherries, dipped in melted white chocolate.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold butter
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 drops red food coloring (optional)

For dipping:

• 1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips
• 2 tsp shortening or oil (NOT butter or margarine!)

Instructions

1. Let cold butter sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Drain and chop the cherries; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork. After the butter/flour mixture is crumbly, add the cherries, almond extract, 2/3 cup white chocolate, and food coloring. It will still be really crumbly, but don't panic. Knead for a few minutes till the dough becomes smooth.
4. Roll dough into 1" balls and place on baking sheets. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to flatten each of the balls out.
5. Bake at 325° for about 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
6. In a small glass bowl, melt the shortening in the microwave. Add the 1 1/3 cups white chocolate. Microwave at half power, stirring every 30 seconds, till smooth.
7. Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper or silicone pan liners till chocolate sets up.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Cookie Sheets (Half sheet pans)
• 
  Silicone Baking Mat
• 
  OXO Stainless Steel Pastry Blender and Cutter

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

(Originally published 11/29/2011, updated November 2019.)

See all my COOKIE RECIPES.