These White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies are a family favorite! They are a soft, chewy, and flavorful cookie. They are perfect for Christmas or any time of the year
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cherry, christmas, christmas cookie, cookies, holiday, white chocolate
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 12 minutesminutes
Decorating 1 hourhour
Servings 60
Calories 88kcal
Ingredients
1/2cupmaraschino cherriesdrained and finely chopped (reserve the cherry liquid)
2dropsred or purple food coloringor purple food coloring
2teaspoonsshortening
White nonpareils and colored sanding sugar
Instructions
Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Stir in the cherries, 2/3 cups of chopped white chocolate, and almond extract. Add food coloring, if desired. Knead the mixture until it forms a ball. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, use some of the reserved cherry liquid to help bring it together.
Shape the dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten the balls to 1 1/2 inch rounds.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the centers are set. Allow to cool for about a minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a double boiler, combine the remaining 8 ounces of white chocolate and the shortening. Heat until the chocolate has melted. dip half of each cookie into the chocolate. Then, roll the dipped edge into your nonpareils and / or colored sanding sugar. Allow the cookies to cool on waxed paper until the chocolate is set.