Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies are soft, puffy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies, crammed with melty chocolate chips and sweet maraschino cherries, and then generously iced with cherry frosting! Made with common pantry ingredients, these Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies are super, super simple to whip up, and feed a crowd!
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Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies are my latest twist on an all-time favorite cookie. These are completely chock-full of maraschino cherries and mini chocolate chips. They leave no crevice unfilled. They’re just blasted with cherries and chocolate in every nook and cranny. Nevermind the delectable, irresistible cherry icing on top!
A few years ago, these Amish Sugar Cookies were love at first sight for me. In a magazine photo, they looked so puffy, pretty, and delicate. In real life, they look just like the picture! It almost never happens that something turns out exactly like the photo.
I knew these were a hit from the first batch, and they became an instant classic. This is so rare. I can’t think of many other recipes where I knew immediately that it was a classic. Very rare indeed that something is labeled “instant classic.”
In a few years time, I’ve made DOZENS of batches. Amish Sugar Cookies are thick, puffy, soft, and they possess that “melt-in-your-mouth” quality. Super easy to make too, and the recipe produces a big batch. The original version is made with simple, common pantry ingredients.
I could really go on and on about all the things that make Amish Sugar Cookies so incredibly wonderful. I’ll stop myself, but let’s at least have a quick flavor/texture discussion.
Amish Sugar Cookies remind me a lot of cut-out cookies, but without any rolling. They’re so much easier — a fraction of the work. But you get all the benefits of cut-outs. They’re maybe a bit less crispy, and they’re thicker and puffier, but they are still super similar. Buttery, rich, flaky. The lazy persons’ cut-outs, I call them.
I love creating new versions because, again, they’re “classic” status, but to you guys too, they’re ever-popular and highly-rated/raved about. Besides all that, they just happen to be unbelievably versatile, perhaps one of the most versatile cookie recipes EVER, so they’re the perfect canvas for inventing new versions.
A few months ago, I thought it would be cute to add chocolate chips to these little puffballs — I was really excited about infusing original Amish Sugar Cookies with a heap of melty, decadent semi-sweet chocolate morsels to make Chocolate Chip Amish Sugar Cookies.
For whatever reason though, it never occurred to me that I was actually just making a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. In my head, I was making Amish Sugar Cookies with chocolate chips…. it was different. Either way, they were fabulous. It got the wheels turning……
One of my favorite versions of Amish Sugar Cookies is these Cherry Almond Amish Sugar Cookies — any maraschino cherry desserts are divine to me — and I thought to myself: you know, the chocolate chip ones would be EXCELLENT combined with cherry.
So these Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies were the natural next step. Loaded with cherries and chocolate! And I can’t turn down cherry icing. You?? Omg, always a fave. I’m a sucker for cherry icing. I have a big container of it in my freezer right now just in case I want to douse something in it. Like animal crackers or Golden Oreos or glazed donuts or…. ANYTHING really.
So you’re starting with a foolproof, top-notch, EASY cookie base that only requires mostly very common ingredients, and building these Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies from there! Destined to be a smash hit when you’re starting with a perfect cookie and throwing in some tasty add-ins and an amazing icing. How can you go wrong??
Not surprisingly, I’ve made MANY versions of Amish Sugar Cookies. If you’d like to see other options, check them out, I’ll leave the whole list right here for you:
- Iced Vanilla Amish Sugar Cookies
- Cherry Almond Amish Sugar Cookies
- Pecan Praline Amish Sugar Cookies
- Iced Maple Amish Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Amish Sugar Cookies
- Iced Chai-Spiced Amish Sugar Cookies
- Thin Crispy Amish Sugar Cookies
- Iced Almond Sugar Cookies
- Iced Lemon Amish Sugar Cookies
- Toasted Coconut Amish Sugar Cookies
- Coconut Oil Amish Sugar Cookies
- Peppermint Amish Sugar Cookies
- Butter Pecan Amish Sugar Cookies
- Pistachio Coconut Amish Sugar Cookies
- Eggnog Amish Sugar Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Amish Sugar Cookies
Nice, huh?
Chocolate Cherry Amish Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For cookies:
- 2 - 12 oz. jars maraschino cherries drained (reserve juice), minced, squeezed VERY dry
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cherry extract optional
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 2 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
For icing:
- 4 tbsp. butter melted
- 1/3 cup + 1-2 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cherry extract optional
- 4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
- sprinkles or chocolate jimmies
Instructions
For cookies:
- As noted above, drain the maraschino cherries, reserving the juice (!), finely mince the cherries, and then pat/squeeze VERY dry. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugars until combined.
- Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, and cherry extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 or 3 additions, beating until just combined after each addition. Do not overmix or dough will be tough.
- Beat in cherries until just distributed. Again, do not overmix.
- Using a spatula, fold in chocolate chips.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.
- Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes, or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned.
- Remove to wire racks to cool.
For icing:
- Whisk together butter, 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice, vanilla extract, and cherry extract.
- Stir in 4 cups powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
- Add additional maraschino cherry juice or powdered sugar, as needed, to achieve a thick, but spreadable consistency. It should be thicker than a glaze, and it shouldn't run off the cookie, but should be easily spreadable.
- Because this icing contains melted butter, it "sets". If you find that it's starting to get too thick while you're icing the cookies, you can pop it in the microwave for 5-6 seconds. That's it -- only a few seconds will thin it back out.
- Ice the cookies, decorate with sprinkles or chocolate jimmies, if desired, and allow to set.
- Store cookies in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Stack cookies with parchment paper or foil in-between layers. Cookies will keep for about a week.
Notes
My mom lost the recipe for chocolate cherry chip cookies she made when I was little, and I’ve been trying to re-create it. These look thick, but not cakes… Every attempt I’ve made has been spongey or super flat. Do you think these cookies with stand alone without the icing?
These are thick, and not cakey, yep. They’re not spongey or flat either, and they definitely don’t need icing — they’re plenty delicious and sweet without. I wish I knew what the cookies were like that you had growing up so I could tell you if these would be similar! I don’t know if they’ll be similar or a perfect recreation of the ones from your childhood, but these ARE great cookies. Maybe you’ll like them in their own right. I would think this is worth a shot! The basic Amish Sugar Cookies are EXTREMELY popular, so I think you might like these either way. Please let me know if you try them, and what you think. Good luck!
Just like all of your “Amish Sugar Cookie” recipes, this one is scrumptious! I agree that it is the cherry icing , especially with cherry extract, that kicks these cookies right over the top. I rarely make any sugar cookies these days that aren’t from your Amish collection after discovering them last year during the holidays. I also love these recipes because it’s easy to make a half-batch. That comes in handy when I want a variety of flavors for a special occasion. I don’t know how you come up with so many different kinds of sugar cookies but my family loves them! Thanks again.
You know what, I come up with so many because it’s such a popular recipe and such an easy recipe to play with. Anytime I think of a fun variation, I want to share it. They’re so easy to tweak and customize, ya know? I LOVE these cookies too, and I’m so so happy that you found a good recipe that you can come back to again and again. I sometimes divide a batch and make different flavors too. Thanks so much for your feedback, as always! 🙂
If you freeze the dough for a couple days will they bake the same?
Yes! In my experience, they do turn out the same. Thaw in fridge for a day or so before baking, and then thaw at room temperature when ready to bake. I have had good luck with freezing the dough.