Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

I make these easy cookies every year. They freeze well so feel free to make them well ahead of time. Even though we tend to think of them as Christmas cookies they are delicious ANY time!

I've also heard them called Buried Cherry or Buried Treasure cookies.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

Chocolate covered cherry cookies are a chocoholic's dream! The thick layer of ganache is creamy and fudgy, the Maraschino cherry is juicy and sweet, and the chocolate cookie is tender and chewy!

🧾 Ingredients

• Cocoa powder is where the chocolate flavor comes from. I used Hershey's Extra Dark to get the most chocolate flavor.
• Maraschino cherries can be red or green. The red ones are pretty but if you use the green ones you can call them Grinch cookies. You'll want the ones without stems. Be sure to drain cherries very well!

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well.
4. Form the dough into 36 balls using about a heaping teaspoon of dough for each. Roll the dough in confectioner's sugar.

5. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small saucepan. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Heat until the chocolate is melted. Add the Amaretto or cherry juice and blend well.
7. Push a cherry into the center of each ball of dough. Spoon chocolate over on top of each cherry, covering it completely.
8. Bake.

🥫 Storage

Store at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage. The sugar in the Maraschino cherries helps them to stay fresh without refrigeration - but this is not a good cookie to ship.

💭 Tips

Expert Tip: Be sure to drain maraschino cherries well and you've dried them with paper towels. The frosting won't stick otherwise.

• Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature - it's important to the way the cookies come out.
• If the dough seems too soft to roll into balls chill it for about 30 minutes.
• You can use any kind of cocoa you want. I really like the extra dark cocoa because it gives the cookies a deeper flavor.
• You can use any kind of chocolate chips - milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, etc.
• Be sure to use real chocolate chips - not imitation chocolate or they won't melt right.
• Don't use an off brand sweetened condensed milk. Some of them make the ganache come out grainy - I prefer Eagle Brand.
• These freeze well for up to 3 months.
• If you happen to be taking these chocolate cherry cookies to an adults only event try soaking the cherries in Amaretto or bourbon overnight before you make them. Just pat them dry before using.
• Making this for a cookie tray assortment? Add peanut butter Rolo cookies and gingerbread snowballs for variety!

Related recipes

I love Christmas recipes and all the traditions that go along with them! Here are plenty of Christmas cookie recipes plus lots of information on storing, shipping and more!

• Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes Recipe
• Christmas Cookies Recipes
• Easy Christmas Desserts Board: Sweet Charcuterie
• Sugar Cookies
• Peanut Butter Kisses
• Peppermint Kiss Cookie
• White Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Santa's Whiskers Cookies

📞 The last word

If you're putting together a candy assortment you'll want to check out these homemade candy recipes.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.93 from 13 votes

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

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Chocolate covered cherry cookies are chewy and fudgy with maraschino cherries in the center and a creamy ganache frosting baked right on top. Each bite is a chocolate lover's dream!

Course Dessert - Cookies

Cuisine Amercian Heritage,Holiday

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings:36

Calories:120

Author:Marye Audet-White

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Equipment Needed

• ▢
  Stand mixer
• ▢
  Baking Sheet

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Cookies

• ▢ ½ cup butter, room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup dark cocoa powder, you can use regular cocoa if you like
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 36 Maraschino cherries without stems, drained, and patted dry (reserve juice)
• ▢ 1 cup Confectioner's (powdered) sugar, for rolling cookie dough in

Ganache

• ▢ 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• ▢ ½ cup Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons Amaretto or cherry juice

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well.
• Form the dough into 36 balls using about a heaping teaspoon of dough for each.
• Roll the dough in confectioner's sugar.
• Push a cherry into each one.
• Cover with the ganache.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
• Cool completely.

Ganache

• Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small saucepan.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Heat until the chocolate is melted.
• Blend well.
• Add the Amaretto or cherry juice.
• Spoon on top of each cherry, covering it completely, before baking.

Notes

Expert Tip: Be sure the cherries are drained well and you've dried them with paper towels. The frosting won't stick otherwise.

• Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature - it's important to the way the cookies come out.
• If the dough seems too soft to roll into balls chill it for about 30 minutes.
• You can use any kind of cocoa you want. I really like the extra dark cocoa because it gives the cookies a deeper flavor.
• You can use any kind of chocolate chips - milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, etc.
• Don't use an off brand sweetened condensed milk. Some of them make the ganache come out grainy - I prefer Eagle Brand.
• These freeze well for up to 3 months.

Storage

Store at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage. The sugar in the Maraschino cherries helps them to stay fresh without refrigeration - but this is not a good cookie to ship.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

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First published December 3, 2014. Last updated November 6, 2020 for better images and readability plus to clarify instructions.