Easy Cherry Pie Cookies
Sweet like cherry pie – inside of a cookie! With all the flavor of a homemade cherry pie but none of the work, these Easy Cherry Pie Cookies are simple to make and delicious to eat!
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Nut-free Cherry Pie Cookies are thumbprint cookies with a fantastic cherry pie filling. With plenty of tender cherries, these adorable cherry cookies are perfect for parties, potlucks, cookie swaps, bake sales, and whenever you need a bite of something sweet and tasty.
This is an easy Cherry Pie Cookie recipe, and by using a can of cherry pie filling, most of the hard work is already done for you!
I love canned cherry pie filling – just open the can and fill the cookies! It’s that easy! Plus, you can bake the cookies ahead of time and then just fill them before serving; that way, the cookies stay nice and crisp, and the filling is perfect.
Get the kids to help you make these cookies. Their thumbprints are just the right size for the cookies, and they can help you roll the cookie dough balls or even fill the cookies.
When you’re craving a taste of fall flavors or are hungry for all the goodness of apple pie, try these Cherry Pie Cookies!
What Are Thumbprint Cookies?
These cherry pie thumbprint cookies are cookies with an indentation that you can fill with all sorts of tasty ingredients. From fruit fillings to chocolate, thumbprint cookies are fun to make and tasty to eat! They’re also really pretty – there’s nothing like a golden brown cookie with a heaping filling to get you rave reviews! If you like thumbprint cookies, you should also check out my Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies & my Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Butter – Salted butter, softened.
- Margarine – Softened.
- Powdered sugar – Also called confectioners or icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure or artificial extract is fine.
- Cherry Pie Filling – 1 21-ounce can.
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – I like Ghirardelli’s. You can use chocolate chips too, just be careful not to burn as it seizes up easily.
How To Make The Best Cherry Pie Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 325-F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and margarine together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the butter and margarine are light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
- Whisk the flour and powdered sugar together in a bowl, then add this mixture to the mixer and mix on low until a dough forms.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon scoops of dough and roll them into balls between your hands.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart.
- Press your thumb, or the back of a spoon, into the top of each cookie to create a small well in the center of the cookie.
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes or until the sides of the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are a light golden color.
- Cool the cookies on a cooling rack.
- Spoon a small amount of cherry pie filling into the indentation of each cookie. Drizzle with melted chocolate
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough! Mix as much as needed to combine the ingredients, and scrape down the bowl a time or two.
- The cookies will spread a bit, so don’t overcrowd your baking sheet. Bake the cookies in batches if you need to, but cool the baking sheet down before adding more cookie balls to it.
- If the cherries from the can are large, cut them up a bit to fit into the indentation in the cookie.
How Do You Know When The Cookies Are Done?
It can be hard to tell when a cookie is fully cooked. With these cherry thumbprint cookies, I look for slightly puffed sides and lightly golden brown bottoms. You can also touch the top of the cookie lightly – if it springs back, it is cooked. If it is gooey or stays depressed if you push lightly, then they need a bit more time.
Serving Suggestions
I love these cookies! My family and guests also love these cookies, and I love sharing them at:
- Family gatherings
- School events (these cookies are nut-free)
- Bake sales
- Christmas cookie swaps
- Potlucks, BBQs, and more!
Storage
You can store these tasty Cherry Pie Cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days, or freeze the unfilled cookies and fill them as needed!
Easy Cherry Pie Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 Cup margarine softened
- 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 21 Oz cherry pie filling (1 can)
- 1/2 Cup chocolate melting wafers (or substitute chocolate chips, being careful not to burn when melting)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer and large bowl), cream butter and margarine together on medium high speed until fluffy. Drop mixer speed to low and add vanilla extract, then blend for 30 seconds.Â
- Add dry ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until it just forms a dough. Do not over mix.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll it between your hands. Place cookie ball on the baking sheet. Place the cookies about two inches apart. Use your thumb (or the back of a small spoon) and press into the center of the cookie dough, creating a small well.
- Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the sides of the cookies are puffed and bottoms of cookies begin to turn a light golden color.
- Remove cookies to a cookie rack and let cool. Once the cookies are cooled add some cherry pie filling to the tops of each cookie. Melt the chocolate wafers as directed on the package and using a spoon drizzle some chocolate over each cookie.Â
- Store in an air tight container.
