The Fruit That Makes Chocolate Chip Cookies Even Sweeter

Like many who enjoy baking, the first recipe I baked all by myself as a child was for chocolate chip cookies, using the directions on the back of the yellow Nestle Toll House chocolate morsels bag. The recipe is so seared into my mind, I haven't needed to look at the instructions when I make a batch of cookies for decades now. To me, classic chocolate chip cookies are perfect, but that doesn't mean I don't deviate from the ingredient list from time to time. While walnuts, cinnamon, and oatmeal have all been occasional additions to the cookies in my kitchen, I have never tested out maraschino cherries. Still, it seems that many other bakers have, with rave reviews.

The sweet, fruity twist is easy to pull off. Simply take your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and add drained, chopped maraschino cherries to the batter. Chopping the cherries rather than leaving them whole will help them to incorporate evenly throughout your cookie dough. The flavor combination of the cherries and chocolate works beautifully, and might remind you of biting into cordial cherries, at least the ones that don't contain alcohol. Maraschino cherries in chocolate chip cookies definitely amp up the sweet factor, so depending on how much extra sugar you want, either be generous or spare with the number of cherries you add. Many recipes call for adding around a cup of maraschino cherries to a standard cookie recipe.

Of course, incorporating maraschino cherries into baked goods is hardly a new concept. Due to their color and sweetness, the ice cream sundae-staple lends itself to many sweet treats like pineapple upside down cake, trifles, and old fashioned fruit cake cookies (one of my personal favorites). If you like the idea of adding cherry flavoring to your chocolate chip cookies but desire something a little less cloying, consider using tart dried cherries instead. The concept is similar to adding raisins to cookie dough, so you'll get a nice, chewy texture and a good bit of tartness to go along with the chocolate. Even chopped fresh cherries work in cookie recipes, but with dried and fresh fruit, you will lose the bright, neon color of classic maraschinos.

Part of the fun of baking with maraschinos is that they come in multiple colors, which is possible due to the processing involved in making these types of cherries. Blue and red maraschinos would make fun, festive cookies for the 4th of July, and using the green versions make for a perfect St. Patrick's Day cookie.