Cherry Heart Cream Cheese Cookies – Tender, sweet cream cheese cookies with a heart-shaped maraschino cherry center covered with a drizzle of chocolate. A perfect treat to share for Valentine’s day!
These cute pink cream cheese cookies with their cute little bright red, heart-shaped maraschino cherries are the perfect festive way to celebrate the loves in your life. Whether those people you love and what to share these delicious cream cheese cookies with are your spouse, significant other, kiddos, grandkids, neighbors… whoever! They will all love them and see your heart full of love! I know… cheesy! I just had to though.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these:
- Raspberry Mousse Mini Brownie Bites
- Easy Valentine’s White Chocolate Blondies
- 5-Minute Cherry No-Bake Cheesecake
- 4-Ingredient Raspberry Mousse
- Red Heart Brownie Teacakes
These dainty pretty pink cookies are so fun! There are so many fun ways you can enjoy and share these such as:
- gift them to a neighbor
- serve at a Valentine’s tea
- share with your family
- serve at a family Valentine’s dinner
- Wrap a few cookies in a cellophane bag and give to friends or coworkers
Where do I find heart-shaped maraschino cherries?
You make these cute heart-shaped maraschino cherries out of whole maraschino cherries. The same kind of cherries you put on a banana split or on top of the whipped cream of a shake. To make them heart-shaped, cut each cherry in half then cut a small “v” into the top. It will look like a heart. So easy and so cute! My little ladies think they are so fun!
Is this cream cheese cookies recipe easy to make?
These cherry cream cheese cookies are really easy to make. The hardest part I would say is cutting the cherries and that isn’t even hard. This recipe has about 10 ingredients (two being the cherries and the chocolate for drizzling). The recipe is pretty straightforward. Like most cookies, you start by creaming the fats (butter and cream cheese) with the sugar then add the flavoring extracts and eggs. After that, the dry ingredients go in. Once the dough has formed, scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently press a cherry heart into the center of each cookie and bake. After baking, drizzle melted chocolate on top if desired. These cookies only take about 30 minutes to make and bake. This recipe will make about 30 cookies when using a size 40 cookie scoop. Don’t already have this size? I use one similar to this one.
What if I don’t like cherries or cherry flavoring?
If you don’t like cherries, leave the cherry heart out. They won’t look as fun and festive but they’ll still taste delicious. If you don’t care for cherry extract (omit it). I personally don’t care for cherry extract because it reminds me of cough syrup but my girls love cherry flavored everything. Even if you omit the cherry flavoring, you can still have a pretty pink cookie by adding the red food coloring. Have fun with these cookies and make it to your liking. 🙂
Enjoy! Here’s the full printable recipe:
Cherry Heart Cream Cheese Cookies
Yield:
30 cookies
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
12 minutes
Total Time:
22 minutes
Tender, sweet cream cheese cookies, heart-shaped maraschino cherry and drizzle of chocolate. Perfect Valentine's treat!
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cherry extract, optional
- 5-10 drops red food coloring, optional but so fun
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 15-18 whole maraschino cherries
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut cherries in half (you should have 30-34 halves). Cut a small "v" at the top of each cherry half. This will make it look more like a heart. Using a few paper towels, dab off any excess liquid. Set aside.
- Cream the cream cheese, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add eggs, vanilla, cherry extract (optional), and red food coloring (optional but so fun). After mixing, if you want a darker pink, add a couple more drops of food coloring.
- Next, add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Mix until dough forms. The dough will be soft but still able to come out of a cookie scoop.
- Using a size 40 cookie scoop, place 12-15 cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Carefully press a heart-shaped maraschino cherry into the top center of each cookie.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-13 minutes. Bottoms should begin to brown, peaks on the top of the cookie may start browning but the whole cookie should not be brown.
- If over baked the cookies will be dry and crumbly.
- Remove and place on cooling rack or paper towel. Once cooled, drizzle with chocolate.
These are beautiful and just in time for Valentines! I can’t wait to try them! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thanks so much Amy! So excited to see you guys soon.