Cherry Cookies
Updated Sep 26, 2026
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These chocolate chip cherry cookies have crispy edges, chewy centers and fresh cherries and chocolate chips in every bite. They’re easy to make in 30 minutes – no chilling required.
Cherries are my oldest daughter’s favorite fruit, so I created these fresh cherry cookies just for her (along with these cherry muffins, cherry pie and cherry bars)!
They’re basically the perfect chocolate chip cookie for cherry lovers. Every bite is loaded with fresh cherries and melty chocolate chips, with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Use fresh or dried cherries for a delicious cookie with major “black forest” vibes.
You don’t have to chill these chocolate chip cherry cookies (it’s actually best if you don’t), and they’re easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients.
Why You’ll Love These Cherry Cookies
- Fresh cherries. We use fresh cherries, you can also use maraschino or dried cherries.
- So gooey. Chewy edges and gooey centers, as it should be.
- No chilling. In fact, it’s best to bake the dough right away so the cherries don’t have time to release excess moisture!
- Easy to make. These cherry chocolate chip cookies are made with simple ingredients and are ready in 30 minutes.
Absolutely love these cookies. So good..
– Denise
Cherry Cookies Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cherries. Fresh cherries the best. Pit and finely chop them, then gently press the chopped cherries between paper towels to remove as much excess moisture as possible. You can also use dried cherries or maraschino cherries. If you use frozen cherries you have to fully thaw them first and drain then press out any excess water.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and coconut oil (softened, not melted) are both great substitutes.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
- Light brown sugar. Using dark brown sugar will impart a slightly richer molasses taste.
- Vanilla extract. If you’d like to add some almond extract, you can use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Cinnamon. I love the addition of cinnamon in these cherry cookies, it brings all the flavors together beautifully.
- Semisweet chocolate chips. I prefer semisweet because it compliments the cherries really well. But milk, dark, and white chips all work well!
How to Make Cherry Cookies
These fresh cherry cookies are so easy to make, but we’ll walk through this recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by pitting and chopping the cherries. Then, lay them out on paper towels and press gently to release and remove excess moisture (this is very important to avoid too much moisture in the dough). If you are using dried cherries, obviously skip this step.
Then, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Next, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy – about 1 minute.
Then, add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth and light.
Next, beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Then, add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Very gently fold in the cherries.
Use a 1 ½ to 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the top is just set and just barely beginning to turn light golden brown.
Remove the cherry cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for the Best Cherry Cookies
The most important step in this recipe is removing as much excess moisture from the cherries as possible. Here are a few tips for making perfect cherry cookies every time:
- Dry the cherries really well. After pitting and chopping the cherries, gently press them between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Don’t overmix when adding the cherries. Gently fold the cherries into the dough last so they don’t get smushed and release extra liquid.
- Bake the dough right away. Don’t chill the cookie dough. As it sits, the fresh cherries release moisture into the dough and can make the cookies soggy.
- Don’t overbake. We want the edges to be set and the cookies to be just barely lightly golden brown.
- Let them cool on the pan. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them finish setting without overbaking.
How to Serve Cherry Cookies
Serve these cherry cookies cooled to room temperature or very slightly warm. They are a great, festive addition to your holiday cookie trays along with our Favorite Christmas Cookies.
How to Store Cherry Cookies
Let the cherry cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Because they’re made with fresh cherries, they’re best within the first 1-2 days.
How to Freeze Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can freeze baked cherry cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
If you’re using dried cherries, you can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Portion the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container in the freezer.
I don’t recommend freezing the unbaked dough when it’s made with fresh cherries because the fruit releases additional moisture as it freezes and thaws.
Cherry Cookies Recipe FAQS
Yes! Fresh cherries are delicious in cookies. The key is to pit and chop them, then remove as much excess moisture as possible before adding them to the cookie dough. This keeps the cookies from becoming soggy or spreading too much.
Yes, but if you use frozen cherries you have to thaw them completely and remove as much excess water as possible.
Yes, dried cherries work perfectly in this recipe.
Yes, you can use Maraschino cherries but you will need to chop them and press out excess and moisture just like you do with the fresh cherries. Also, they will be significantly sweeter in the cookies but should still taste really great!
Yes. Double all of the ingredients to make about 40 cookies. I suggest baking one pan at a time for the most consistent results.
Too much moisture from the cherries is the main reason you’d end up with soggy cookies. After chopping the fresh cherries, gently press them between paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Also, bake the dough immediately after mixing rather than letting it sit or chilling it.
Along with these cherry cookies, I suggest cherry muffins, my favorite cherry bars or this homemade cherry pie.
I prefer semisweet or dark chocolate chips in these cookies. Milk or white chips work too, they just make a sweeter cookie.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
- 1 cup fresh cherries (pitted and chopped)
Instructions
Prepare the Cherries
- Begin by pitting and chopping the cherries.
- Then, lay them out on paper towels and press gently to release and remove excess moisture (this is very important).
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
Make the Dough
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy – about 1 minute.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Gently stir in the cherries.
- Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake, Cool & Serve
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the top is just set and just barely beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool
Notes
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and coconut oil (softened, not melted) are both great substitutes.
- Light brown sugar. Using dark brown sugar will impart a slightly richer molasses taste.
- Vanilla extract. If you’d like to add some almond extract, you can use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Cinnamon. I love the addition of cinnamon in these cherry cookies, it brings all the flavors together beautifully.
- Semisweet chocolate chips. I prefer semisweet because it compliments the cherries really well. But milk, dark, and white chips all work well!
- The cherries have to be as dry as possible for the best results.
- Bake immediately, do not chill or the dough could become soggy.
- I don’t suggest using frozen cherries unless you can squeeze out almost all of the excess moisture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your chocolate chip cookie recipe is great love the 8 cookies recipe Is there a 8 cookie recipe for your cherry 🍒 recipe
I don’t have a scaled down version of these, however you could add a handful of chopped cherries to my small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe.
First my substitutions – almond extract instead of vanilla, no cinnamon, and the butter I used seemed not as as I liked so I added 1/2 tsp of olive oil to that mix. I loved the results.
Absolutely love these cookies. What i do is 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/2 vanilla. So good..
Sounds delicious Denise!
I pitted, chopped and froze cherries. Can they be used in this recipe instead of fresh cherries?
Yes, you will just need to thaw them to room temperature and drain excess water.
Really great! I added walnuts too. Amazing and will make again!
Thank you Sam!
Will maraschino cherries work in this recipe?
Yes they will, just be sure to drain off excess liquid.
Hello!
You’re one of the first food bloggers I’ve found using the same base recipe as myself and I’m so stupidly excited about it. I apply only a few differences in technique and would love to share them with you.
Depending on the cookie or my mood may:
• brown the butter (I saw you also do this in your other recipes)
• use up to 1 Tablespoon extract or paste
• add ¼ cup unfed sourdough starter (discard)
• add up to 1 tsp cornstarch per cup of flour (especially when incorporating wet additions like discard or fresh fruit)
• rough chop half of the chocolate chips for extra melty distribution throughout
• soak any dried fruits in the egg and vanilla mixture while preparing everything else
I feel like we just became besties and I told you all my secrets! Hopefully you’re open to try some of my favorite techniques. Thank you for for the cherry idea, making a sourdough batch now and eager to see your other ideas!