Try baking these Cherry Blossom Cookies to wow a crowd. The Hershey kisses, cherries, and sugar make these the best cookies ever! If you’re a fan of classic cookie box favorites with soft centers and sweet chocolate centers, these Cherry Blossom Cookies are about to become a new staple in your baking rotation. Inspired by the nostalgic candy-topped treats so many of us grew up loving, these cookies are tender, buttery, and perfectly golden, with just the right pop of chocolate right in the center. With simple ingredients and an easy prep, they’re the kind of cookie that’s as fun to make as they are to share. Whether you’re baking for a holiday dessert tray, a birthday party, or just an everyday sweet craving, Cherry Blossom Cookies deliver that familiar, comforting sweetness with a homemade twist. The slightly crackled edges give way to soft, chewy middles, and the chocolate blossom on top makes every bite feel special. They’re timeless, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser — the perfect cookie for gifting, snacking, or adding a little extra joy to someone’s day.
These Cherry Blossom Cookies are also called Cherry Kiss Cookies for a very good reason. While some people choose to make these cookies around Christmas time, you can make them year-round! These would be the perfect Valentines Day cookie for your loves!
Why People Love This Cherry Blossom Recipe
- Easy to make: If you like to bake but don’t want to spend all day doing it, these cookies are for you!
- Pretty to look at: Sometimes you want to make a cookie that is super pretty to look at, and these cookies are it!
- Great for freezing: When you need a cookie that you can freeze, this Cherry Blossom Cookie is a great alternative.
Ingredients Needed for a Cherry Blossom Cookie
- Unsalted butter – Sometimes, you have to go with the no-salt butter, so your cookie isn’t overly salted.
- Confectioners sugar – This sugar is used to sweeten and add texture to desserts such as cakes, cookies, and cupcakes.
- Salt – Salt is essential in baking, providing structure and flavor to the dough or batter.
- Maraschino cherry juice liquid – Maraschino cherry juice is a clear red-colored syrup made from maraschino cherries that can be used for decorating or flavoring baked goods.
- Almond, vanilla, or cherry extracts – You will use the extracts to add flavor to these cookies!
- All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour is great for making blossom cookies.
- Chopped maraschino cherries – These are small pieces of tart, bright red cherries that have been preserved with sweetened syrup.
- Granulated white sugar – When it comes to baking a cookie, you can’t go wrong using granulated white sugar.
- Hershey Kisses – Hershey kisses are perfect for topping these Cherry Blossom Cookies. It’s the perfect chocolate kiss to the cherry cookie.
How to Store Cherry Blossom Cookies
When it comes to storing cherry blossom cookies, there are several important steps to take.
- Choose a container that is airtight and moisture-proof such as plastic or Tupperware.
- Line the bottom of the container with a double layer of wax paper or parchment paper for extra protection.
- Carefully arrange the cookies inside the container, making sure there is at least an inch between each cookie.
- Seal the container securely to keep out any outside air or moisture and store it in a cool, dry place.
These delicious treats can stay fresh for up to two weeks with proper storage techniques!
Common Questions for Cherry Blossom Cookies
What if my dough is sticky?
If your dough is too sticky to handle, slowly add more flour until you can handle it. If your dough needs to be forced together to form a ball, you can add some moisture until desired texture is reached.
What kind of extract should I use?
You can use almond, vanilla, or cherry extract. I have personally had these with both almond and vanilla and prefer vanilla.
What are a few tips to make these Cherry Blossom Sugar Cookies turn out even better?
- Chilling the dough is vital, but you don’t have to chill them for long since they are small. I have found that 15-20 minutes is enough time. Chilling the dough prevents it from spreading too thin.
- The pink color comes from the maraschino cherries and juice. If you want a more vibrant pink, they could use pink food coloring or pink sugar to roll the cookies.
- The amount of Cherry Juice in this recipe is TRIPLED, which is why they don’t come out dry or cakey.
- This recipe is considered “vintage” and is supposed to have more of a shortbread flavor.
We make these cookies every holiday season , its tried and true! I love making them for valentines day too!
This is sure to become a family favorite cookie recipe that everyone will go crazy over!
More Recipes You Will Love!
Very Cherry Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Cherry Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon maraschino cherry juice liquid from the jar of cherries
- ¼ teaspoon almond vanilla or cherry extract
- 2- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries drained
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar for rolling
- 24 Hershey Kisses
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, salt and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the 1 tb cherry juice and extract of choice and continue mixing until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low until fully incorporated. Once the two cups are added, slowly add a couple of Tablespoons at a time until the dough resembles a playdough consistency and can be handled without sticking to hands.
- Carefully stir in the chopped cherries, just until combined.
- Use a Tablespoon round cookie dough scoop to form small cookie dough balls and roll the balls in granulated sugar until coated.
- Chill the dough balls for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place cookies evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until baked through.
- Remove from the oven and place a hershey kiss in the center of each cookie.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
Why Results Can Vary with Cherry Blossom Cookies (And How to Get Them Right Every Time)
Cherry Blossom Cookies are a delicate, shortbread-style cookie, which means they behave a little differently than traditional drop cookies made with granulated sugar. While this recipe has been loved and baked successfully by many readers over the years, a few small variables can affect the final outcome if they aren’t handled carefully. One of the biggest factors is flour measurement. Because this dough uses powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, it relies more heavily on the correct amount of flour for structure. The dough should be soft and pliable, similar to playdough, but not sticky. Starting with the lower amount of flour and adding it gradually is key — even a small extra amount can change the texture. Moisture from maraschino cherries is another important detail. Even well-drained cherries can release extra liquid as they bake, which can soften the dough and affect how the cookies hold their shape. For best results, chopped cherries should be patted very dry with paper towels before being added to the dough. These cookies are also intentionally tender, more like a classic shortbread than a crisp or chewy drop cookie. Because of that, they won’t brown heavily in the oven, and overbaking can cause them to become dry or crumbly. Baking just until set — and chilling the dough before baking — helps ensure the best texture. With careful measuring, properly dried cherries, and a short chilling time, this recipe consistently produces soft, buttery Cherry Blossom Cookies that hold their shape and pair beautifully with the chocolate center. Taking a few extra moments with these steps makes all the difference.Did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Debra Sahmel says
Looks delish. Want to try baking them
Marilyn Larkin says
These Maraschino Cherry Cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day. My husband loves cookies more than cake; so, these cookies are going to be perfect. I’m planning to use Hershey’s dark chocolate kisses, which are preferred for us. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! ????????????
pat says
awesome site
Jessica says
These were delicious, but the directions do not say when to add the salt.
Incredible Recipes says
fixed 🙂
Joanne Knowlton says
These turned out delicious! My son-in-law and grandsons especially loved them.
Cynthia Owen says
Yummy – these are my all time favorite recipe of yours! i make them every year!
Shawna Penn says
Has anyone tried this with oat flour or other gf flour? I would love to know before I try. They sound wonderful.
Bethany J says
They were good recommend topping with codial cherry kisses. Also def dont forget to drain your cherries. I forgot – my fault! These mistakes on my end made my first batch inedible. Nothing wrong with the directions or the recipe, except my confusion lol.
Laurie Anne says
These are phenomenal, I used boozy cherries and the juice from them, I know my friends are going to enjoy these (these are only for adults)
Lauren greenburg says
I followed the recipe and they were great! thank you so much for always having the best recipes of any blog i follow!
CATY says
Flavor is great and they were crazy easy to make! everyone adored them!
Kendra says
I can’t wait to try this, have you ever mixed the dough 3 days ahead and left wrapped right in the frig? If so how did it turn out?
Incredible Recipes says
I have not tried that but I dont see why not!
Joanna says
These cookies came out perfect, my kids loved them and we ate them in about 1 day lol
Joan Iverson says
Substitute 1 tablespoon of cherry liquor for the cherry juice. Much better.
Caroline kelly says
I will be making these again soon, I cant believe how easy and how much cherry flavor they had , they were crazy good!
Kelly Jamison says
These came out perfectly! Everyone went crazy over them . This recipe is for sure a keeper!
Yolanda says
I couldn’t find cherry extract, so I’m about to bake and going to use cherry emulsion. Has anyone used that with these cookies?
Sue K says
ok, so they taste great but….10 min may not be enough baking time depending on your oven. Mine needed a few more minutes. Also wait for them to cool a few min before putting the kisses on them or the kisses will just melt. Yea, thats what happened to mine. So , lesson learned. I took them to a party and they were eaten so its all good
Donna says
These turned out really good! I used almond extract as it goes well with cherry. Using a small cookie scoop packed against the side of the bowl yielded 46 cookies for me. I wanted to make smaller cookies for a bake sale. For anyone wondering, a 16 oz. jar of cherries was exactly 1 cup of chopped. These not only taste great, they are pretty too!
Katie melon says
I made three batches of these this week and they came out perfectly! The flavor is really amazing , they actually taste like cherries! I gave some to friends and family in their cookie bags I make! DEF recommend this recipe!
Sarah Petroni says
Hey Lisa!! I’ve been making these Cherry Blossom Cookies for years and they are always a huge hit! This time I made five dozen for friends, family, and a church bake sale, and they disappeared faster than anything else on the table lol. People kept coming back asking what they were and who made them.
The cookies were soft, buttery, and full of cherry flavor, and that chocolate kiss on top makes them irresistible. I followed the tips about drying the cherries well and chilling the dough, and they turned out perfect batch after batch. I even had people asking if I would make them again next year because they were that good.
This recipe is definitely a keeper and has become one of my go-to cookies for sharing and special occasions!
Mandy Zumwalt says
Sounds wonderful gonna try yo make them
Julie Spengler says
These are super yummy. I was worried when they came out of the oven, but they get better the next day. We definately wanted the glaze, but maybe could do without the kisses. They don’t spread much, so I would flatten them a bit next time, and there will be a next time. A definate hit.