The ever-popular ice cream flavor, made over in cookie form! These pink-tinted sugar cookies are studded with sweet maraschino cherries and dark chocolate, then finished with a drizzle of white chocolate. A unique and festive addition to any holiday cookie platter.
Makes 18 cookies
Ingredients
2/3 cup (145g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 cups (275g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. maraschino cherry juice
1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)
24 maraschino cherries, finely chopped
2oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
2oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat on medium speed for 1 minute, or until well-combined. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and continue to beat for 30 seconds, until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cherry juice, and food coloring to the bowl. Beat on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until a smooth dough forms. Fold in the chopped cherries and chocolate.
- Roll the cookie dough into 18 balls, and arrange them on a baking sheet. Transfer the sheet to the freezer for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Divide the cookies evenly between two baking sheets, spacing them roughly 2 inches apart. Transfer the baking sheets to the middle rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, until they have puffed up and are very lightly browned on the bottom edges.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheets.
- Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth.
- Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cookies. Transfer the baking sheets to the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to set the chocolate.
- Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and serve, or keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
*These cookies freeze well up to one month. Or you can form the cookies and freeze the unbaked dough for up to 2 months. Bake straight from the freezer, simply add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
