A Perfect Valentine
“Come here, Kate said, and while the girl waited beside the desk Kate slowly addressed the envelope and stamped it. I want you to run a little errand for me, she said. Go to Bell’s candy store and get a five-pound box of mixed chocolates and a one-pound box. The big one is for you girls.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
For a little sweetness on Valentine’s Day I have the perfect cookie. Sour cherries, almond and lemon are nestled in an ethereal cream cheese cookie. Flaunting an alluring Bing cherry this cookie surpasses the swagger of the overly sweet candy of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day falls on Friday this year. After a busy week it can be challenging to find time to make a sweet treat for the holiday. These cookies are the perfect solution. The cookie dough only takes a few minutes to make and can easily be kept in the refrigerator for several days before baking. Shaping the cookies is as easy as scooping the dough, forming it into a round shape and then adding the elegant cherry on top. The cookies bake quickly and very soon a sweet valentine dessert will be ready to share.
Essentials
The regal Bing cherries are just sweet enough to contrast the sour dried cherries nestled in the buttery soft cookie. Don’t omit the lemon zest or almond extract as they add depth to the exquisite flavor of these cookies. Maraschino cherries can be used and the cookies will have the traditional red of Valentine’s Day but I prefer the dusky red and early summer flavor of the Bing cherry. I used these Bing cherries, as this is what I found at my local grocery store. These cherries are preserved without food coloring and still have their stems attached. Whatever cherries are used, drain them well before placing them in the cookies.
The Cherry Cream Cheese Cookie recipe is adapted from Cottage Cheese Cookies in The Gourmet Cookie Book. I just added this sweet book to my collection after placing a winning bid on The Wednesday’s Chef’s cookbook auction to raise funds for the Invisible Child Trust.
| Ingredients | |
| 2C | all-purpose flour |
| 1/2t | baking powder |
| 1/2t | fine grain sea salt |
| 1/2c/4oz | unsalted butter, softened |
| 1/2C | cream cheese, softened |
| 1C | sugar |
| 1 | egg |
| 1t | lemon zest |
| 1t | vanilla extract |
| 1t | almond extract |
| 1/2C | chopped, dried sour cherries |
| 36 | preserved, pitted Bing cherries with stems, drained |
- In a medium size bowl sift or shake through a large sieve the flour, baking power and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, cream cheese and sugar and mix until throughly combined. Add the egg, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extracts and mix again to combine. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl. When throughly incorporated add the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together and then remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Fold in the chopped cherries. Chill the dough until it is stiff before baking.
- Heat the oven to 350°. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Scoop the cookies in uniform amounts by using an ice cream scoop or measuring spoon. I used a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll the cookie dough into round balls and space them two inches apart on the sheet pan. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie and place a cherry in the indentation with the stem facing upward. Bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven and quickly reposition any cherries that have slumped over. Finish baking the cookies for 2-5 more minutes, just until the bottom edges of the cookies begin to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes and remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Oh my! This does sound like a fabulous combination.
Thank you Barbara! My family thought they were scrumptious too!
I love how perfect these look. Most of all, I like the nuanced flavour with the combination of extracts and lemon zest. Yum.
Thank you for commenting Oz, I appreciate your kindness!
These look divine! Love your photography too 🙂
Thank you Jessica! I very much appreciate your gracious comment!
I love cherries! Never used them in cookies but after seeing your photos I know I should! These are beautiful cookies, Deb!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment Julia!
I love this, Deb. The sourness of the cherries is a great departure from the sugar-fest that most of us associate with the common cookie. Oh, and they’re BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you for such a lovely comment Viviane!
Now I really wish I had some cherries! These cookies sound wonderful – I love cream cheese cookies and I can imagine how well they pair with the cherries!
Thank you Ashley, I appreciate your tasty comment!
These cookies are just beautiful! I love anything with cherries and can’t wait until they are in season again. And that means it will be summer too!!! Yay!!!
Thank you Laura! The Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies are the perfect treat to satisfy our cherry craving until spring!
so adorable! and just perfect for valentine’s day. i’ve seen cherries around here recently, but they are few and far between. i’m saving this for when we get the really good ones later this year.
Thank you for the tasty comment Shannon! May begins the fresh cherry season here, I can’t wait!
Deb, what an adorably dressed up butter cookie. The most decadent way to enjoy a cream cookie as I’ve ever seen.
Mary thank you for the delicious comment, much appreciated!
I adore these and the bing cherries on top – I wonder where I could find those? I am not at all a maraschino cherry girl. If I can’t find the preserved cherries – I bet a little chocolate in its place would not be at all bad.
Hope you are having a lovely Valentine’s Day full of sweet sweet things.
Thank you for the lovely comment Beth! I found the Bing cherries at my local Nob Hill grocery store. I fairly certain if I can find them here, you can find them in your area!
Heart- stoppingly delicious!
Thank you for the tasty comment Jane!
Ooh, these are gorgeous! Almond extract is one of my favorites to use, and I think it’s just dreamy combined with a cherry or lemon flavor. Love your staging, too – that red stove-top espresso maker is just too adorable. Perfect for Valentine’s. 🙂
Thank you for the gracious comment Alyssa!
Your pics are gorgeous and these cookies….perfect for any occasion!
Thank you for the gracious comment MJ, I appreciate it!
These cookies are cuties…A great present for V-day and also a great afternoon treat that can be accompanied by a cup of coffee/tea (and a great chat). Wishing you a very happy V-day, Deb!!!
Thank you Denise! I agree, cookies are the perfect afternoon snack! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Goodness they look so light and moist, I’m so impressed with how the cherry has retained it’s beauty. Your pics are glorious xx
Thank you for the gracious comment Deena! I am very pleased at how the Bing cherries baked!
These cookies look perfectly pretty for Valentine’s Day – I love the combination of almond flavour with cherries and will have to try these some day! Bookmarked!
Thank you Cathy! The recipe is very easy and comes together quickly, I hope you try them!
I love cream cheese cookies and that cherry on the top is perfection!
Thank you Laura! The Bing cherry is very close to perfection!
These are like a little gift. Like a bit or two of the perfect pie. Happy Valentine’s Day! xo
What a sweet comment Valentina! Thank you!
Ah, the cherry on top! Perfect for the big, red day! Almond and lemon together…YUM!
Thank you Jacquee! I’m glad you liked the cookies!
So pretty and delicate — and ingenious!
Thank you Carol! I appreciate your gracious comment.
These are adorable and I love the idea of baking a whole cherry. I’ll take this over candy any day.
Thank you lynda! My thoughts exactly, I’d rather have a home baked sweet over candy any day.
These cookies are perfect for Valentine . I can’t wait to make them. The cherries look divine. You do such a good job with your blog.
Gerlinde
Thank you so much for the lovely comment Gerlinde, much appreciated!
These are so cute and I love the cherry sticking from it!
Thank you for the tasty comment Gintare!