Cherry almond shortbread cookies are buttery, delicate and packed with sweet cherry flavor in every bite.
These festive cookies combine rich butter, fragrant almond and chewy dried cherries for a holiday treat that looks beautiful on a cookie platter but is surprisingly easy to make.
I especially love the texture.
The edges become lightly crisp while the center stays tender and crumbly, giving you that classic melt-in-your-mouth shortbread experience.
The cherry and almond combination also gives traditional shortbread a gorgeous seasonal upgrade.
This recipe is perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges, holiday dessert trays, afternoon coffee, edible gifts or simply keeping a tin of homemade cookies on the counter.
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The real trick is controlling moisture.
Patting the cherries dry before adding them to the dough helps maintain the crumbly shortbread texture instead of creating a soft, cakey cookie.
Why You’ll Love These Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread is one of those recipes where simple ingredients can create seriously impressive results.
Butter provides the rich foundation.
Almond extract adds that unmistakable bakery-style aroma.
Cherries bring little bursts of fruity sweetness.
Sliced almonds provide just enough crunch to make every bite interesting.
The result is a buttery shortbread cookie that feels elegant without requiring complicated decorating.
That’s exactly why these make such wonderful easy Christmas cookies.
You can prepare the dough ahead of time, chill it, slice it and bake when you’re ready.
No piping bags.
No elaborate frosting.
No complicated techniques.
Just beautiful homemade cookies with a festive cherry-almond flavor.
Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 45–60 minutes
Bake Time: 12–15 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes
Makes: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup (75 g) dried cherries, finely chopped
- ½ cup (55 g) sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for finishing
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, for topping
How To Make Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Step 1: Cream The Butter And Sugar
Add the softened butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl.
Beat until creamy and smooth.
You don’t need to whip the mixture until fluffy. Shortbread should have a rich, dense texture rather than the airy structure of a cake.
Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
The almond aroma should become noticeable immediately.
Step 2: Add The Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Mix just until the dough comes together.
Avoid overmixing.
Too much mixing can develop the gluten in the flour and make your cookies less tender.
Step 3: Add The Cherries And Almonds
Fold in the finely chopped dried cherries and sliced almonds.
Make sure the cherries are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
If your dried cherries are particularly moist or sticky, pat them with paper towels before chopping.
This small step helps keep the dough firm.
Step 4: Shape And Chill
Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Shape each portion into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap the logs tightly in parchment paper or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 45–60 minutes.
Don’t skip this step.
Chilled shortbread dough slices more cleanly and helps the cookies maintain their shape while baking.
Step 5: Slice The Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and slice into rounds approximately ¼-inch thick.
Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each one.
Sprinkle lightly with the finishing sugar.
Add a few sliced almonds to the tops.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for 12–15 minutes.
Look for lightly golden edges while the centers remain relatively pale.
Don’t wait until the entire cookie becomes deeply browned.
That’s one of the easiest ways to accidentally overbake shortbread.
Step 7: Cool
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
Then transfer them carefully to a wire rack.
Allow them to cool completely before storing or decorating.
The cookies become firmer as they cool while retaining their delicate, crumbly texture.
What Makes These Cookies So Good?
The magic is in the contrast.
The butter creates richness.
The almond adds warmth and nuttiness.
The cherries provide concentrated fruity flavor.
The sliced almonds contribute texture.
Together, they transform a simple shortbread base into a festive cherry almond cookie recipe that’s perfect for holiday baking.
I also love that the cookies look naturally beautiful.
You don’t need elaborate icing.
The red cherries and golden almonds provide enough color and texture to make the cookies stand out on a Christmas cookie platter.
Pro Tips For Perfect Shortbread
Pat The Cherries Dry
Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of crisp, tender shortbread.
After chopping the cherries, blot them thoroughly with paper towels.
This helps prevent the dough from becoming unnecessarily soft.
Don’t Melt The Butter
The butter should be soft enough to mix easily but should still hold its shape.
Melted butter can make the dough greasy and cause the cookies to spread too much.
Chill Longer If Your Kitchen Is Warm
If your kitchen is particularly warm, give the dough an extra 15–20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Cold dough creates cleaner slices and better-shaped homemade shortbread cookies.
Don’t Overmix
Once the flour disappears, stop mixing.
Overworking the dough can make the finished cookies tougher than that classic delicate shortbread texture you’re after.
Watch The Edges
The cookies don’t need to become deeply golden.
Lightly golden edges are enough.
The centers should remain fairly pale and tender.
Easy Variations To Try
White Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies
Dip half of each cooled cookie into melted white chocolate.
Finish with a sprinkle of chopped almonds.
The creamy chocolate works beautifully with the tart cherry flavor.
Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread
For a richer variation, use melted dark chocolate instead.
The slightly bitter chocolate balances the sweetness of the cherries beautifully.
Orange Cherry Almond Shortbread
Add 1 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest to the dough.
Cherry, almond and orange create a wonderfully aromatic holiday combination.
Almond-Coated Cookies
Before chilling, gently roll the outside of each dough log through finely chopped almonds.
The nuts toast around the edges as the cookies bake.
The result is extra crunchy and wonderfully rustic.
How To Serve Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies
These cookies are made for festive occasions.
Arrange them on a Christmas cookie platter alongside chocolate cookies, gingerbread and sugar cookies.
They also make a lovely afternoon treat with coffee or tea.
For gifting, stack several completely cooled cookies in a clear food-safe bag and tie with festive ribbon.
You can also place them into a small cookie box for an easy homemade Christmas gift.
They look far more elaborate than the amount of effort required.
How To Store Them
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
They should stay fresh for approximately 5–7 days.
For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
You can also freeze the shaped dough logs.
Wrap them tightly before freezing, then thaw them in the refrigerator before slicing and baking.
That makes this a particularly useful make-ahead Christmas cookie recipe when you’re preparing several holiday desserts at once.
Nutrition Information
Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on 24 cookies:
- Calories: 155
- Total Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
The Final Bite
These cherry almond shortbread cookies have everything I want from a festive homemade cookie.
They’re buttery.
They’re tender.
They’re slightly crisp around the edges.
And those little pieces of cherry add just enough fruity sweetness to keep every bite interesting.
The almond brings everything together with a warm, bakery-style flavor.
Best of all, you don’t need complicated decorating skills to make them look special.
They’re naturally pretty, easy to prepare and perfect for everything from Christmas baking ideas to cookie exchanges and homemade food gifts.
Make the dough ahead.
Keep it chilled.
Slice it when you’re ready.
Then let the oven do the work.
Serve them with coffee, tea or a glass of cold milk and watch how quickly that cookie plate starts disappearing.
And if you put your own spin on these cherry almond shortbread cookies, share your results and tell me what you changed.
