Family Favorite: Cherry Chocolate Kisses

There are two cookie recipes I bake for Christmas every year, specifically for when my family decorates the tree. This one has been a special favorite of my oldest son, Chris, since he was pretty young!


Here's today's cast! The recipe calls for maraschino cherries but I decided to sub out the Amarena cherries that I also used in the cherry chocolate bread a few days ago.


The softened butter is mixed with the powdered sugar.


Here it is--nice and smooth!


A couple of teaspoons of the cherry juice is added.


The recipe calls for almond extract. I figured more cherry flavor!


A few drops of gel food coloring.


Mix well. You can always adjust the color after the dry ingredients are added.


Flour and salt are added next.


I did end up adding a few more drops of red color to this. 


The drained cherries, all chopped up and ready to go.


The dough is soft but it is very easy to handle.


I use my hands to lightly roll the dough into 1" balls. There's a lot of butter in these guys so the cookie sheet does not have to be greased. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. They will still be soft.


As soon as they come out, press a chocolate kiss into the center. It's ok if it cracks a bit but don't get crazy.


Remove the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely. The texture is soft, crumbly and buttery. The biggest pain is storing them since they aren't very stackable. They are also best when eaten in one big cherry-chocolatey mouthful!

Here's the recipe:





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kincaid's/Ryan's Grill-Style Pea Salad

Image
I was so sad when Ryan's Grill in Ward Centre closed down. For many years it was a favorite gathering place for both my family and my friends. Similarly Kincaid's, formerly Horatio's, at the now demolished Ward Warehouse was, too. I always ordered the pea salad that both restaurants served and have been wanting to re-create it. Today's recipe is the closest I've come! Today's cast! Sour cream, mayo, salt, and pepper are combined for the dressing. In the meantime, I put the frozen peas into a colander to help them thaw and drain. After that, it's just a bunch of chopping. Interestingly, the recipe mentioned that Hormel bacon bits work much better than bacon that has been cooked up and drained. Who am I to argue? I added the bacon bits to the dressing along with chopped water chestnuts and red onions. I de-stringed the Chinese peas. Sugar snap peas can also be used. The peas and pea pods were combined with the dressing, then I popped it into the fridge. The re...
Read more

Anthony Bourdain's Macau-Style Pork Chop Sandwich

Image
I read, and own, all of Anthony Bourdain's books except Kitchen Confidential.  It seems like an odd omission considering it's the book that made him famous and brought to light a dirty side of the restaurant business that the public apparently loved hearing about, but no, for me, it was his first show, A Chef's Tour, followed by No Reservations,  that really made me a fan. Yes, the show was about food, but more importantly it was about the people who made the food and the places the food grew out of. That cultural and historical connection has always been the key factor in my own burgeoning food obsession. Bourdain was sarcastic and edgy but he was also intelligent, well-read and so adept at putting words together to unite the food with its people into an appreciative, thoughtfully crafted whole. His suicide in 2018 saddened me in a way I would never have anticipated. I decided that henceforth I would honor his influence on my culinary interests and every year, on his bir...
Read more

Ethereally smooth hummus

Image
I swear I didn't name it. My sister had sent me the link after I posted about making falafel. My friend, D, loves hummus but doesn't like it when it's gritty or chalky. This seemed like it would be right up her alley. Today's cast! Once the skins began to loosen, I drained the water and put the beans into a pot on the stove. Over medium heat, I sautéed them with some baking soda. The soda is supposed to make them less gassy. I'll keep you posted on that one. After a few minutes I added the water and brought it up to a boil. There's a whole lot of foam at the beginning. Skim it off and discard it. Let the beans simmer for about 20 minutes or until they can be easily split. Here's a perfectly cooked bean; the skin slides right off of it and it separates easily into two halves. In order for the hummus to be "ethereally smooth," all the skins must be removed. I don't mind doing this (see my post on Falafel) but cooked ...
Read more