I know it’s hard to tell by the picture, but these cookies are very pink! How perfect for a baby shower, bridal shower or just someone who loves pink in general. I can’t even tell you how delicious they are either. In fact, my oldest teenage son (who loves to critique my cooking) took one bite and said, “how did you do this.” Do what….”make them taste like a cherry and have the perfect texture…crisp edge and soft inside.” Of course my answer was that I’m magic. Ha…it’s true.
Anyway, there are secrets to making the perfect cookie, not so much in technique, but in equipment. If you are at all interested in making gift-worthy looking cookies, then it does require a small investment. After baking cookies for the past 25 years, I have finally nailed down what it takes. Ultimately your cookies taste better too because they are baked to perfection.
I know there are many of who who have been visiting here and cooking along with me for the past seven years. And many of you have jumped on my bandwagon of using a whoopie pie pan for baking cookies. For those of you who haven’t, I just can’t tell you enough how nice they are for baking the perfect cookie…in looks, taste and texture. In fact this particular recipe does not do well on a cookie sheet as the batter spreads out and goes flat. Make sure you get 2-3 of them otherwise you will need to wash and cool them in between baking…never place a cookie batter on a hot pan.
The other MUST for your kitchen, and not just for cookies is a scale. I don’t know how anyone lives without a kitchen scale that measures in pounds, ounces and grams. Your baked goods turn out better and are even in shape and size. You also never need to wonder if that letter your mailing needs an extra stamp…because now you weigh it. This is my favorite kitchen scale, and I’ve had many! I weigh every one of my cookie balls, I weigh my flour…I’m telling you, you will never regret this purchase. Invest in your baking today!!
After weighing each of my cookie balls, I place them in the whoopie pie tin cavaties. The dough for this cookies is very sticky.
I then stud each cookie with an additional 6-7 chocolate chips.
As you can see they bake perfectly round and thick.
Oh my gosh I love these cookies so much….you will too.
Soft Baked Maraschino Cherry-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 6 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 36 maraschino cherries, destemmed and chopped
- 2 cups chocolate chips, plus press to press on top
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare whoopie pie pans by spraying with cooking spray.
- Using a stand mixer, cream together shortening, butter and granulated sugar. Add egg, maraschino cherry juice and vanilla, continue to mix until combined. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add it slowly to the mixing bowl on low speed, mixing until just combined. Stir in chopped cherries and chocolate chips.
- To make the perfect cookie, roll dough into balls weighing 36 grams each (about 1-1/2" in size) and place one in each well of the prepared whoopie pie pan. Press on extra chocolate chips to the outside of the cookie balls, about 6-7 per cookie.
- Bake cookies for 14 minutes, remove from the oven and let them sit 2 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack.
Cooking Notes:
- Using a scale to weigh each cookie ball, ensures even cooking for all cookies as well as their size. Using a whoopie pie pan ensures the shape of the cookie. This is a very soft batter that will spread very flat on a regular baking sheet. You could refrigerate the cookie balls before baking but they will still not keep shape as the cookies you see here.
- Even though it's hard to see in pictures, the cookies are very pink.
- These cookies freeze well.
Other Cookie Recipes Featuring Maraschino Cherries:
- Cherry Chocolate Nut Cookies ~ Taste and Tell
- Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies ~ Closet Cooking
- Maraschino Cherry White Chocolate Cookies ~ Averie Cooks
- Cherry Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ My Baking Addiction
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