Old Fashioned Christmas Cherry Cookies Food

CHERRY CHRISTMAS COOKIES - AN OLD FASHIONED SLICE AND BAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). You may need to set the temperature a bit lower for a fan or convection oven.
• Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer.
• Add the egg and either the vanilla or almond extract to the butter and sugar mixture.
• Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the flour, beating in slowly a bit at a time..
• Remove the bowl from the electric mixer and fold in the cherry halves and chopped pecans using a wooden spoon.
• Put the dough in the fridge for an hour.
• Shape the dough into 3 rolls, each about 9 to 10 inches long.
• Wrap the dough rolls in cling film (plastic wrap) and either refrigerate for up to 3 days, or place the rolls in freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
• When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge or freezer and allow to warm up a little.
• Gently roll the wrapped rolls on a flat surface to ensure they are round and don't have a flat edge where they have been sitting.
• Cut the chilled or frozen rolls in ⅛ inch slices.
• Bake on ungreased baking sheets for 10 - 12 minutes until the edges of the cookies are beginning to turn golden.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla and incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture.
• Add the flour and cornstarch. On low speed, mix into the butter and sugar until well incorporated.
• Divide the dough into two portions, wrap each portion completely in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 2 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.
• Roll one portion of the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Once the cookie is completely cooled, whisk together the icing ingredients and set aside.
• Line the cookies up on the cooling rack so that they are evenly spaced. Place a layer of paper towels under the cooling rack for easy clean up. (This will catch the icing if any drips over the side.)
• Transfer the prepared icing to a Ziploc bag. Cut a small hole in one lower corner with scissors. Drizzle the cookies with the icing.
• Top the cookies with the halved glace cherries.
• Allow the iced cookies to sit undisturbed for one hour. This will allow the icing to harden.
• Cookies can be stacked. Store in a food-safe container. Can be frozen up to 3 months.

CHERRY ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, beating well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture, beating well. Pat cherries between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Stir cherries and pecans into dough; cover and chill 2 hours.
• Shape dough into two 1 1/2"-diameter, 8"-long rolls. Roll in colored sugar, if desired. Wrap rolls in wax paper and freeze until firm.
• Unwrap frozen dough and slice into 1/4"-thick slices, using a sharp knife. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.