Cherry Bomb Cookies

This past week at work, we held a fund raising bake sale and I volunteered to bake. In doing so, I managed to use up all the corn starch and butter I had in my apartment. And I was mighty glad I decided to pick up a 2nd bag of flour.

One of the cookies that I made for the sale are ones that are being a staple of mine when it comes to Christmas baking. They're called Cherry Bomb Cookies. Basically, you wrap cookie dough around a maraschino cherry that still has the stem attached (usually called cocktail cherries) and you bake it like that. They do look like little bombs when they're done.

I can't take credit for the recipe though. I came across it in "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke. I did tweak the recipe a little though. Not only are the cookies awesome, but so is the book. It's a whole series by Joanne Fluke where recipes are included in the story.

Anyhow, the cookies were a bit hit and I sold them all, which meant I didn't have to bring any home, thus helping my waistline :)

Here's the recipe:

3 cups of Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Power
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
2 jars (16oz) of Maraschino Cherries with the stems still attached (you can find them at Bulk Barn and Metro!)
Icing Sugar

A lot of recipes call for un-salted butter. I figure it doesn't really matter. If you're using salted butter, just omit the salt that's called for in the recipe. If you're using un-salted butter, include it. Even sweet foods need a tiny but of salt to bring all of the flavours together.

Before starting, open both jars of cherries and drain in a strainer. Let them sit in the strainer while you make the dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add in the sugar and still until it's mostly dissolved. Add in the vanilla. You can also use almond extract instead.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring well after each addition. Once mixed, take a small ball of dough and wrap it around one of the cherries, allowing only the stem to show. Roll it in your hands until a ball forms around the cherry.

Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. They'll still be light in colour (slightly browned on the bottom). You want them to be light. If they've browned, bake them for less time. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Once cool, put icing sugar in a bowl. Dip the cookies into the icing sugar so that they're all white. Gently shake off the excess sugar.

Now pop one in your mouth and enjoy! Just try not to eat the stem :)

Enjoy!!

Sarah