These White Chocolate Cherry Butter Cookies are so tender and buttery, they’ll melt in your mouth. They’re red and pink, perfect for Valentine’s Day or any occasion!
Hey friends! This week was a big one for holidays– Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, and now we have Valentine’s Day on the horizon. But there’s one more holiday we’re celebrating today!
Flying on Jess Fuel’s 5th birthday! 5 years! Can you believe it? The blog’s come a long way in 5 years. I haven’t deleted any of my old posts because I think it’s kind of fun to look back and see how far I’ve come– and ok, maybe laugh at myself a little bit. Check out my first ever post!
As with most years, today we are celebrating with a cute Valentine’s Day recipe. Though these things are delicious and deserve to be made year-round. But since they’re pink and red, they’re extra festive this time of year!
These butter cookies are super soft and delicate. And they’re studded with white chocolate and maraschino cherries. And a little almond extract because it’s my favorite and it goes so well with cherry! Seriously, these things are amazing. I had to send them to work with the hubs because I COULD NOT STOP. Apparently they were gone by 9 am.
A word about the dough– it’s crumbly. And it might seem like it’s never going to come together. But just keep working it, especially when rolling it into balls. It will work, I promise. If it’s being impossible, add a splash of cherry juice. But really, just a tiny splash. The cookies get moist when they bake and the butter starts melting. So you want the dough pretty dry to start. The cookies will also be very delicate when they first come out of the oven, but once they cool they’ll set up and be perfect!
- 2½ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
- ½ cup finely chopped maraschino cherries, drained
- 8 oz (2 bars) white baking chocolate, finely chopped, divided
- ½ tsp almond extract
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and butter cubes. Pulse until crumbly. (You can also use the old fashioned method of cutting butter in with a pastry cutter or 2 knives, but the food processor is fast and easy).
- Pour crumbly mixture into a bowl. Add cherries, half the white chocolate and almond extract and, using your hands, work together until dough starts to form a ball (it will still be a bit crumbly).
- Shape into ¾-inch balls and place about an inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Carefully flatten each ball slightly.
- Bake about 12 minutes until the edges are just barely browned. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Melt remaining white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between each one, until smooth and melted. Transfer to a small ziplock bag.
- Line baking sheets with wax or parchment paper and transfer cookies back to baking sheets.
- Cut a tiny corner off the ziplock bag to create a piping bag, then drizzle over cookies. Let chocolate set, then store cookies in an airtight container.
Check out more great Valentine’s Day Recipes here!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
February 10, 2016 at 4:29 pmThese cookies sound fantastic, Jess, and I love that the cherries give them such a pretty color!! 🙂
jessfuel says
February 11, 2016 at 9:07 amThanks, Rachel! I love the pink + red!! <3
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries says
February 10, 2016 at 6:52 pmThese look so mouthwatering, Jess…just, YUM. Pinned!! I absolutely love that you linked to your first post ever. That was so fun to read and look at the pictures :).
jessfuel says
February 11, 2016 at 9:07 amHAHA! Thanks, Annie. Slightly embarrassing, but totally fun. 🙂
Denise @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
February 10, 2016 at 7:47 pmAwww happy blogiversary! That’s so great! Also, I think it’s hilarious that I missed each and every holiday you listed…I’m so out of touch! These cookies look amazing! I love all of those flavors 😀
jessfuel says
February 11, 2016 at 9:06 amThanks, Denise!! It’s hard to keep up with all the holidays! But Valentine’s Day is always a fun one. 🙂
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook says
February 10, 2016 at 8:25 pmCongratulations on 5 years! Love your blog. And definitely love these cookies!!
jessfuel says
February 11, 2016 at 9:05 amThanks, Lauren!!
Annie says
February 11, 2016 at 7:58 amThese look amazing!! Is it bad that I would eat them all?! 🙂
jessfuel says
February 11, 2016 at 9:05 amI had the same problem. 😉 LOL! Thanks, Annie!
Amanda says
February 13, 2016 at 11:49 amYou pretty much sold me at “super soft and delicate.” 🙂 That pretty much sounds like the perfect cookie. These look adorable, and the cherries and white chocolate sound so good together. I know white chocolate lovers who would go crazy for these.
Jess @ What Jessica Baked Next says
February 14, 2016 at 10:59 amThese cookies look delicious, Jess! Love white chocolate and cherries! 🙂 Happy blog birthday! 5 years is such a long time! 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
February 15, 2016 at 7:00 amHappy Blog Birthday! I’ve never deleted my old posts either. It’s hilarious to look back and see all my horrible photography! 🙂 These cookies are so pretty and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat says
February 16, 2016 at 5:50 pmSuch cute little cookies! And happy blogiversary! It’s so funny to look back at old posts and see how much progress you’ve made over the years. Cheers girlie!