Cherry Almond Cookies
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Puffy, soft, and crumbly, these cherry almond cookies are unlike any cookie you’ve ever had. They are reminiscent of biscotti but are softer and extremely flavorful. And they are completely gluten-free!
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These cherry almond cookies are simply the best! They’re puffy, soft, a bit crumbly, and dry. They remind me so much of biscotti but without the tedious shaping, baking, slicing, and baking again.
With almond extract and dried cherries, these cookies have a wonderful flavor. And the white chocolate drizzle on top adds a little extra sweetness.
Because the cookies are on the drier side, they’re absolutely perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. And they keep for much longer than traditional shortbread cookies.
I used a combination of almond flour and gluten-free baking flour from Bob’s Red Mill and this created such a unique texture.
Almond extract creates a wonderfully flavored cookie. Bits of dried cherries speckle the cookies and add just a hint of tartness.
Why this recipe works
- Gluten-free flour and almond flour combined give a phenomenal texture.
- Oil and butter keep the cookies soft and rich.
- Baking powder helps the cookies puff up. They look like little puffy cakes but have the crisp, crumbly texture of biscotti.
Cherry almond cookies recipe
I have become obsessed with all things cherry. Cherry cobbler and chocolate cherry cupcakes are my usual go-to recipes. But now, I’m all about these cherry almond cookies.
They’re a unique kind of cookie and it’s difficult to describe them. They are far from a soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie. And they don’t quite melt in your mouth like a shortbread cookie or almond bars.
The only thing I can compare them to is biscotti. They are dry and crumbly but not extremely crisp. You can underbake them slightly and they’ll have no crispness at all, but will be extremely soft and crumbly in your mouth.
The almond flavor is subtle while the dried cherries offer little punches of tartness. And the white chocolate ties the entire cookie together.
It’s so different but very good. My taste testers couldn’t stop reaching for more!
Cherry almond cookie ingredients
The ingredients for today’s cookies are simple. There are a couple that you may need to shop for but most you should already have on hand.
- Butter & oil: Both unsalted butter and oil offer the best texture for today’s cookies. The oil keeps them soft while the butter offers a richness.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar yields the best results.
- Flavoring: Use almond and vanilla extracts to flavor the cookie.
- Eggs: You will need three large eggs. It’s best to let them come to room temperature first.
- Gluten-free flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is preferred. It will keep the cookies tender and crumbly.
- Almond flour: I like adding a bit of Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour. It enhances the almond flavor and adds to the crumbly texture.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt will round out the flavor profile.
- Baking powder: I chose to use baking powder so the cookies puff up with a dry texture.
- Cherries: You must use dried cherries. I like to chop them so they are smaller and distribute evenly in the cookie dough.
To make these cookies you’ll need:
- Mixer: Either a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment will work.
- Cookie scoop: A 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop works best for portioning the dough.
- Baking pans: You’ll need two large baking sheets to bake the cookies.
How to make cherry almond cookies
This recipe is beyond simple to make. The most important tip is to make sure you measure the ingredients correctly. I prefer to use a kitchen scale for accuracy.
The Dough – The dough is made by mixing all the wet ingredients together first. Then, the dry ingredients are sifted in. The cherries are folded into the batter last.
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients
The cookie dough is made by creaming the butter, oil, and sugar together. Don’t be afraid to mix it well.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, mix in the almond and vanilla extracts.
Step 2: Mix in the dry ingredients
Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Add the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder.
Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. If needed, use a spoon to get the dry mixture to pass through the sieve.
Discard any large bits of almond flour that won’t pass through the sieve.
Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are well combined and a soft dough forms. Then, fold in the dried cherries.
Step 3: Bake the cookies
Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into 1.5-tablespoon sized balls. Lightly dampen your fingertips with water and press the cookies flat.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, just until the bottom edges start to turn lightly golden brown.
Cool the cookie on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: Drizzle with white chocolate
Melt white chocolate chips according to the package directions. Carefully transfer the melted chocolate to a ziptop bag with the corner snipped off.
Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies and allow them to sit until the chocolate sets.
Storage tips
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
The cookies may be frozen up to 3 months, but I suggest freezing without the chocolate drizzle.
If you like fruity cookies, you’ll love these other tasty recipes:
- Chocolate Chunk Apricot Cookies
- Coconut Mango Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Cherry Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin light olive oil
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (390 g) Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- ½ cup (67 g) Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup (160 g) dried cherries, finely chopped
- 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the oil, butter, and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl containing the egg mixture. Add the gluten-free flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl.
- Mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Fold in the cherries.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to drop mounds of dough 2-inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each mound using damp fingertips.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the bottom edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions. Carefully transfer to a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Notes
- The cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- The cookies can be frozen up to 3 months, but I suggest freezing without the white chocolate drizzle.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
These look great! In our house, our practice is to mix up the dough and then bake two cookies in the evening after dinner, one for my wife and one for me. Obviously the white chocolate topping would present some logistical issues. (I’m not going to melt white chocolate every night…) Should we just go with no topping or do you have a suggestion for something else that might work? (And while I’m at it, thanks so much for your Butterscotch Toffee cookie recipe. They’re a regular on the cookie rota!)
There really is no alternative for the white chocolate drizzle so you’ll have to forgo it. These cookies store beautifully, so you could bake the entire batch, drizzle them with white chocolate, and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Is the tablespoon of baking powder a typo? We made these following the recipe and they turned out super salty. I assume it’s because of the excessive baking powder, but I wanted to see if you actually use that much.
1 tablespoon is correct. The rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of flour. Since I wanted the texture of the cookies to be cake-like I used all three teaspoons which is equal to 1 tablespoon. During testing my taste testers never mentioned the cookies being too salty so I’m assuming you’re sensitive to the taste of baking powder/baking soda, which is not uncommon.