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Cherry Almond Cream Cheese Cookies

Cherry and almond are a classic flavor combination that I happen to adore. These chewy Cherry Almond Cream Cheese Cookies would be adorable on any cookie tray and as a bonus, they are super simple to make.

I opted to use an easy melting vanilla almond bark for the topping just to simplify things. I love using almond barks as they are almost impossible to scorch in the microwave. Besides that, if you are dipping things such as Cherry Oreo Truffles, the melted bark stays melted for a long time, unlike actual chocolate.

Enjoy! If I am not able to post again this week, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Notes: I used a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out my dough balls. If you use a smaller scoop you will get a greater yield of cookies overall, and as such you might need a few more cherries. One jar of maraschino cherries should still be enough even if you make smaller cookies. Vanilla Almond Bark is an easy melting candy that mimics white chocolate chips.

Cherry Almond Cream Cheese Cookies
Makes about 21 cookies, see notes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. almond extract (preferably use Almond Emulsion from LorAnn Oils, it has the best taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries, well drained & patted dry with paper towels (You will use roughly 1/2 of the jar of cherries for this recipe)
  • 4 oz. Vanilla Almond Bark (This should be 2 squares worth)

Directions:

  1. Beat butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract; beat until just combined.
  2. Combine flour and salt. Gradually add flour and salt to butter mixture; beat until combined. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  3. Roll dough into roughly twenty one 1 1/2-inch balls. Using a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop makes this quick and easy. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. With your thumb, press an indentation into the top of each ball. Place a cherry in each indentation.
  4. Bake at 350-f degrees until edges are light golden brown, about 12 – 14 minutes. Let cool on pan about 5 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  5. Melt the vanilla almond bark in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each session, until totally smooth. Scoop into a small ziploc bag and let sit until slightly cooled, about 15 minutes. Snip a tiny corner of the ziploc and drizzle the melted almond bark over the cookies. Let set for about 30 minutes until the almond bark is firm. Store in
  6. an airtight container for up to a week.

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4 Comments

  1. You are killing me with these cherry cookies lately. Pinning these too. My holiday trays are going to be full of cherries this year!