Easy Cherry and Almond Cookies Recipe
Maraschino cherries are the star of the show in these almond cream cheese cookies.
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories: 196kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ounces maraschino cherries {reserve 1-2 Tablespoons juice}
- 8 ounces cream cheese {softened}
- ½ cup butter {softened}
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 box white cake mix {13.25 ounces}
Topping
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
Cookies
- Place cherries on a plate lined with paper towels and let dry. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Combine the cream cheese and butter with a hand held mixer {or by hand} until you have a cream consistency. Add egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and 1 tablespoon cherry juice {2 tablespoons for extra cherry flavor}. Mix until incorporated. Finally, add the cake mix and mix until it is well combined and thick. Fold chopped cherries into the dough until they are evenly distributed.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough {using a medium scoop or 1 1/2 tablespoons} onto a parchment {or silicone} lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set, they will appear to be a little undercooked but that is alright. Remove your cream cheese cake mix cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the cookie sheet.
Topping
- Once cooled, sprinkle tops with powdered sugar. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Feel free to use a different flavor of cake mix if you prefer. Vanilla or yellow cake mix would work well in this recipe, or you could even try a chocolate cake mix for a chocolate-cherry twist.
You can make the cookie dough up to 2 days in advance. Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake. You may need to let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften up before scooping and baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 232mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg