Description
Homemade Cherry Almond Amish Sugar Cookies blend sweet cherries with nutty almonds in a classic Pennsylvania Dutch treat. Simple ingredients create delightful cookies perfect for sharing with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 ½ cups (540 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (237 ml) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (237 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 45 cups (540 g) powdered sugar (for icing)
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 teaspoons cherry extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 (12 oz / 340 g) jars maraschino cherries, drained, minced, and patted dry
- 4 tbsps (57 g) butter, melted (for icing)
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) maraschino cherry juice (or 1–2 tbsps for a lighter color)
- ½ cup (60 g) slivered almonds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prep Station: Arrange parchment paper on baking sheet and preheat oven to 350F (175C), creating an ideal baking environment.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, ensuring uniform ingredient distribution.
- Butter Transformation: Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light, fluffy, and pale, developing a voluminous texture for approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Liquid Integration: Blend egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, achieving a smooth, homogeneous consistency.
- Dough Composition: Carefully incorporate dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring to create a uniform dough without overworking the batter.
- Flavor Enhancement: Gently fold chopped maraschino cherries and sliced almonds throughout the dough, maintaining an even flavor profile and structural balance.
- Cookie Formation: Utilize a cookie scoop to create uniform rounded balls, positioning them two inches apart on the baking sheet. Softly flatten each cookie with a fork or fingertips to create a subtle indentation.
- Baking Precision: Bake for 10-12 minutes, monitoring for light golden edges while preserving soft, tender centers. Remove when cookies appear set but not excessively browned.
- Cooling Protocol: Rest cookies briefly on baking sheet to stabilize, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling. Serve and enjoy the delicate, nuanced flavors.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients gently to avoid tough, dense cookies; mix just until combined for light, tender texture.
- Cherry Distribution Trick: Pat maraschino cherries dry with paper towels before adding to prevent excess moisture from making dough soggy and compromising cookie structure.
- Temperature Precision: Remove cookies from oven when edges are lightly golden, not deeply browned, to maintain soft, moist center and prevent dried-out results.
- Almond Variation: Toast sliced almonds briefly before adding to enhance nutty flavor and provide extra crunch, creating more depth in the cookie’s overall taste profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 49
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg