Cherry Sugar Cookie Macaroons

Doug and I did not have time for our Annual Cookie Throw Down this year.  However, Doug came up with a cookie this Christmas that probably would have won.  It is now my second favorite cookie.  My favorite cookie is the previous post, Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies.  I am a coconut fan and love the tart red cherries in this cookie.  The flavors pair well together, and they look so festive for the holidays.  You start with refrigerated sugar cookie dough,
so it just take minutes  to prepare the dough.

Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
• 1 (7 oz.) package sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup red tart cherry preserves

Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.

In a medium bowl, break up cookie dough.  Add nuts, cherries, coconut and vanilla.  Mix until well blended.  Shape rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  

Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.  Cool 3 minutes. With the back of a teaspoon, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon 1 tsp. preserves in each indentation. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Recipe from allrecipes.com 2013

Printable version: Cherry Sugar Cookie Macaroon

Enjoy!

Christmas 2013 

 Lisa, Mom, Denise

 Lyndie, Lisa, Mom, Becky, Denise

 Tim, Lisa, Mom, Becky, Denise, Lyndie

 Tim, Lisa, Mom, Denise, Doug

 Lyndie, Mom, Becky

 Mom made her annual Robert Redford Dessert requested by Lyndie and Becky.

Merry Christmas!

Doug's Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

 My husband and I have a friendly cookie throw down competition going on.  We started two years ago, and this cookie was the winner the first year.  Now it is on our Christmas baking list each year.  It is probably the best tasting cookie I have ever eaten, so I wasn't surprised when he won.  It's just that I really wanted to win.  Did I say the competition was "friendly"?  He just told me to add he won the second year also.  

First Place Winner

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 48 maraschino cherries, blotted dry

Frosting:

• 1 cup (6 ozs.) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 to 3 tsps. maraschino cherry juice

In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.  combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture.  Shape into balls, about 1 in. round, and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Push one cherry halfway into each ball.

For frosting, melt chocolate chips in milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.  remove from heat; add cherry juice and stir until smooth.  Spoon i tsp. of frosting over each cherry.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.

Recipe from Taste of Home 2013.
Printable version:Chocolate-Cherry Covered Cookie

In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.

Use good ingredients.  Doug used Ghirardelli cocoa.

Measure the dry ingredients.

Drain the maraschino cherries and pat dry.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Beat in egg.

Add the vanilla.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.

The mixture will be very firm and somewhat crumbly.

For frosting, melt the chocolate chips in milk in a saucepan over low heat.

Shape the dough into 48 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

Place on ungreased baking sheet and make a thumb print in each ball.

Push one cherry halfway into each ball.

Remove melted chocolate from the heat.

Add cherry juice and stir until smooth.

Spoon 1 tsp. of frosting over each cherry.

The frosting will spread over the cookie during baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!
The best cookie I have eaten!

Christmas 2013...

Grandsons, ages 4,2, and 12.

Grandsons and Great Grandma at 84 years young.
Have a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Camden's 2nd Birthday Cake- Jell-O 1-2-3 Cherry Poke Cake

Happy Birthday to Camden! 

Our little grandson, Camden, turned 2 years old on December 9th.

We had a special cake and ice cream day to celebrate 

at our house on December 21st.

It was a special day of playing and eating lots of birthday cake and ice cream.

2 Years old!

Ingredients:

• Cool Whip Non-Dairy Topping, thawed
• 1 pound cake
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1-can cherry pie filling

Recipe modified from Taste of Home magazine, December 2013.

 Poke holes with a skewer at 1/2 inch intervals through cake to bottom of pan.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in a small bowl.  

Stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water, spoon over cake.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Invert cake onto a platter.  Cut cake horizontally in half .

Recruit a cute little sous chef to help.

 Spread bottom half of cake with 1/3 cup of Cool Whip, 

or enough to cover the cake.

 Aiden loves to cook.  

He is spreading half of the cherry pie filling onto the Cool Whip topping.

 Spread the cherries evenly to the edge of the cake.

 Camden is trying on his Christmas stocking while waiting for his cake.

Put the top layer onto the cake.  

Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining Cool Whip.

Garnish with the remaining pie filling.  Add chocolate pieces.

 Brother, Duncan, Dad, Brother, Aiden, and Camden.

 Mom and Camden.

 Grandpa and Grandma and grandsons.

 Happy Birthday, Camden!

Camden with his peppermint ice cream treat.

Recipe: Dreyer's Peppermint Pie