After baking, these buttery thumbprint cookies are filled with a smooth powdered sugar cherry liqueur icing and sprinkled with finely chopped maraschino cherries. The result is a delicious, bite-sized treat that is as attractive as it is delicious. These cookies are just the cookie recipe you need to add some gorgeous holiday color to your cookie tray this season.
Today I’ll be sharing a little quirky insight as to how I shop, using these wee little cherry cookies as an example. Buckle up, it’s about to get real in here. After seeing a cherry cordial recipe this week, I was inspired to make a thumbprint cookie using Kirschwasser, which is a clear cherry brandy produced in Germany. So, as is often the case with any recipe requiring hard liquor, I found myself, once again, driving to the ABC store. Only this time, it wasn’t because B.O.B. Bob had somehow, once again, miraculously finished an entire bottle of the Jameson, Jack, Four Roses, or Baileys that I always try to keep on hand for cooking and baking. I swear, I really need to put a line on the bottle that states, “If you drink past here, you better get your ass to the store and purchase a new bottle, or Colleen is gonna be rip-roaring pissed off!”
Anyway, back to the shopping. At the store, I was saddened to find only one brand of Kirschwasser available. And, since I had already done my research online, I realized that this particular $11.99 bottle of alcohol was not something anyone would actually want to drink unless they were underage and searching in the back of a dusty pantry for something to sip without their parents ever finding out. So, when that plan went out the window, I decided to look at other cherry liqueurs. There were two options that I deemed worthy of purchase, a $31.99 bottle of Heering Cherry Liqueur and a $34.99 bottle of Luxardo Maraschino. So there I stood, with a bottle in each hand. Putting one back and then picking it up again. Putting one back and then picking it up again. Putting one back and then picking it up again. Until, finally, I said to heck with it, I’m just gonna get the Heering Cherry Liqueur and be done with it.
Now, this is when a normal person would walk to the register, say, “Howdy. How’s your day going?” and then head home to bake some freaking cookies. But no, I am not normal. I proceed to walk around the store oohing and aahing over alcohol that I would never even dare drink. And, while doing this, I somehow managed to pick up two bottles of whiskey for Christmas gifts, one bottle of fancy scotch for a birthday gift, and several mini bottles to use as stocking stuffers. Y’all, all I needed was one wee bottle of liqueur that should have cost me about $35. But no, instead I left that store having spent almost $200. This is how I shop. It’s a skill I have perfected, or should I say an extremely bad and somewhat expensive habit? Anyway, thanks to my recent ABC shopping spree, I now present to you, a batch of adorable, but extremely costly, Christmas cookies. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 Teaspoons Cherry Liqueur
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
Filling:
- 1 (12-oz.) Jar Maraschino Cherries
- 1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cherry Liqueur
- 2 Tablespoons Half and Half
Directions:
Cookies:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the cherry liqueur, vanilla, and salt; mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add the flour a cup at a time, on low speed; mix just until incorporated.
- Cover and chill for 1 hour, or until the dough is easy to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed, cooked through, and just starting to turn a light golden brown on the bottom edges.
- Immediately use the back of a round measuring teaspoon to press an indentation into the center of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Filling:
- Drain the maraschino cherries. Reserve the juice for another recipe or discard it. Use a few paper towels to help dry the cherries off a bit. Finely chop the cherries. Place the chopped cherries on another few sheets of paper towel to dry a bit more.
- After the cookies have completely cooled, sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the cherry liqueur and half and half. Whisk until smooth.
- Spoon the filling into the well of each cookie. Garnish with the chopped cherries.
- Allow the cookies to sit for several hours before packaging them in an airtight container.
Suggestions:
- I used Herring Cherry Liqueur for this recipe. If you don’t have cherry liqueur or you want to keep these cookies alcohol-free, replace the liqueur with maraschino cherry juice.
- It’s easy to forget how big or small an inch is. I keep a metal ruler in my kitchen for just such occasions. I rest it on the counter in an area where I can see it while shaping the cookies. It’s a good reminder and helps me keep the cookies the correct size. Without the ruler, I tend to roll larger balls of dough.
- Do not use your thumb to press an indentation into the cookies because they will be extremely hot. If you don’t have a round teaspoon, try using a cookie or tart tamper, or even a cocktail muddler.
- I used a jar of maraschino cherries which I purchased at Target. I feel like they taste better than others I have found in my local markets. If your jar of cherries is larger, you will need approximately 24 to 28 cherries for these cookies, depending on their size.
- Don’t forget to sift your powdered sugar so that your filling is smooth and lump-free.
- I used half and half in the icing because it is what I had on hand. You can also use milk or heavy whipping cream. If you use milk, you may need a bit less than 2 tablespoons. If you use heavy whipping cream, you may need a bit more than two tablespoons.
- When storing the cookies, place a piece of waxed paper between each layer of cookies to prevent the cookies from sticking to one another.
- If I am not serving all of these cookies within a few days, I store them in a refrigerator because of the dairy used in the icing.
- This recipe will yield approximately 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies depending on how large or small you roll your cookie dough.
Improvements:
- Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little bit of orange zest for decoration.
- Grate a little bit of dark chocolate over each cookie.
- Top each cookie with a few sliced almonds.
- CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes. Don’t forget to check out our Christmas cookies section.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 Teaspoons Cherry Liqueur
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 (12-oz.) Jar Maraschino Cherries
- 1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cherry Liqueur
- 2 Tablespoons Half and Half
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the cherry liqueur, vanilla, and salt; mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add the flour a cup at a time, on low speed; mix just until incorporated.
- Cover and chill for 1 hour, or until the dough is easy to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed, cooked through, and just starting to turn a light golden brown on the bottom edges.
- Immediately use the back of a round measuring teaspoon to press an indentation into the center of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Drain the maraschino cherries. Reserve the juice for another recipe or discard it. Use a few paper towels to help dry the cherries off a bit. Finely chop the cherries. Place the chopped cherries on another few sheets of paper towel to dry a bit more.
- After the cookies have completely cooled, sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the cherry liqueur and half and half. Whisk until smooth.
- Spoon the filling into the well of each cookie. Garnish with the chopped cherries.
- Allow the cookies to sit for several hours before packaging them in an airtight container.
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