White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to walk on the wild side since I do NOT bake.

Like ever.

As most of you faithful readers know by now, the dishes I make taste awesome. However, I severely lack in presentation. For Christmas I decided to make these pretty cookies as gifts and whipped up six dozen or so.

At first this recipe seemed overwhelming, but once you get started it is very simple. J really liked the cookies and he does not like sweets. I also had positive feedback from those who dared to take a bite. It is a different twist to the typical cookie and I even decorated the cookies by coating the tops with white chocolate and colored sprinkles. Edit: Years later (December ’16) I decided to make these for a Christmas Cookie party we attended. Once again, they did not disappoint and I went sans sprinkles on the decorating. Personally, I thought they tasted better a day later.

What are you waiting for? Get to it!

Fixings 

1 Jar Maraschino Cherries - chopped
2.5C Flour
1/2C Sugar
1C Cold Butter - cubed
1 Package White Chocolate Chips
1.5t Almond Extract
2T Cherry Juice
Salt - dash
Sprinkles

Fix It

1. Drain the cherries, but save 2T of cherry juice. Chop those cherries up into tiny pieces!
2. Mix the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the cold butter. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry blender (a fork will work too) until the mixture turns into a crumby substance.
3. Add the cherries, white chocolate chips, almond extract, salt and cherry juice.
4. Dig your hands into the bowl and mix the ingredients together.
5. Rolls the mixture into small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper).
6. Dip the bottom of a glass or mug (I used a juice glass) in sugar and smash the cookies flat.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for roughly 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
8. Cool on the pan for a few minutes then move to a cooling rack.

Onto the super fun part! You have a few options to jazz up these delicious treats! When I first made these, I dipped part of the cookie in the white chocolate then dipped it again in festive red sprinkles. For my most recent batch, I used white chocolate for a whimsical drizzle – ideal for those who lack in craftiness or patience.

1.  Melt the white chocolate in thirty second intervals. Be sure to stir every so often. I even added a bit of butter, just for kicks.
2. Once fully melted, use accordingly. If going the drizzle route, try using a fork to splatter the yumminess.
3. Let the white chocolate cool and enjoy!