Can you believe Valentine's Day is right around the corner? We love sharing the "love" on Valentine's day with unique gifts and sweets. What better way to do that than with pink cookies! These cherry chocolate chip cookies are easy, unique, and delicious! My kids couldn't get enough of them. The mix of cherries and chocolate is to die for and again, they are PINK! I was thrilled with the color and can't wait to give them away on Valentine's day. 

The base of the cookie is actually made with a vanilla cake mix. See, I told you... easy! The cake mix is mixed with cream cheese, butter, an egg, and maraschino cherry juice. The cherry juice turns the mix this awesome pink color. It's just so pretty. The cream cheese gives them a cheesecake type texture and taste.

After the mix is combined, it's time for the best part... the chocolate chip and cherry pieces! After you gently fold those in, you will want to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes so that the dough is easier to handle and it will prevent them from spreading out too much when baking. After that, you are ready to roll the dough into balls and bake. I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper but you can lightly grease your cookie sheet instead. I used a tablespoon to measure out a heaping tablespoon of dough to roll.

When baking these, you don't want to over bake them. They will look a little under cooked when they come out of the oven. You want them to be cooked all the way through but not brown on the top. I cooked them for about 12 minutes and pulled them out right before they started browning. We want pink cookies... not brown ones!

So are you ready to make these beauties? See below for the recipe!

Ingredients: 

• 1 15 oz box vanilla cake mix

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp almond extract

• 1/2 cup butter (softened)

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)

• 1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 10 maraschino cherries chopped

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease cookie sheet

3. Pull 10 cherries out of the jar and chop. Set them aside.

4. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, butter, and egg until combined

5. Add in the cake mix, almond extract, and cherry juice. Mix again until combined

6. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped cherries.

7. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes

8. Use a tablespoon and pull out a heaping tablespoon of dough. Roll into balls.

9. Place on your cookie sheet and bake 10-13 minutes. Check the cookies at about 10 minutes. You don't want them to turn brown but don't overcook them. They will look undercooked. (Time can vary with different ovens and size of mounds)

10. After pulling them out of the oven, let them rest on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes.

11. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling

And there you have it... perfectly pink cookies for Valentine's day! The only thing missing is a cute Valentine's tag. We just so happen to have the perfect Valentine's tags that we will be giving away as a freebie in the next couple days. Find them here.

xoxo