Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Cookie baking has begun in our humble abode! The first contender for the season was a cherry chocolate kiss! While this recipe is extremely easy to make with cherries.. you can use this same recipe to make "peppermint chocolate kisses" by substituting peppermint kisses, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes for the cherry kisses, cherries, and cherry juice! However, with this month being everything peppermint, and L not being much of a peppermint person, I opted for the the cherry version!

When all of the ingredients were mixed, and I was eating the raw dough (which you can, there's no egg), I found that is was basically just a shortbread cookie with cherry flavoring and bits. Yum! So just so you know, if you are planning to bake these keep in mind that they are a shortbread cookie meaning that they are not SUPER, EXTREME sweet, but more of a lighter cookie with cherry flavoring. 

Cherry Chocolate Cookies Adapted Servings: Approximately 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened - but still cool!

1 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies

Milk chocolate cherry kisses, unwrapped

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.

3. Reduce the speed to the lowest speed and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.

4. Add the cherry juice and almond extract until combined.

5. Slowly add the flour - mixture should start to become more doughy.

6. Increase the mixture speed, and add the cherries.

7. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet every 2-inches apart.

8. Using your thumb, gently press each cookie in its center until the cookies is about 1/2-inch thick.

9. Sprinkle each cookies with a little granulated sugar.

10. Bake the cookies approximately 14 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly brown on the bottom.

11. Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss in the middle of each cookie.

12. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

  Enjoy!