The recipe for these cookies resulted from my need to tweak every recipe that I encounter. When I tweak a recipe, it's not always to make it better, although the majority of the time that is the case, some of the time I'm just looking for a different texture or a new flavor profile. In this instance, it was the make a better cookie. The original recipe was for Cherry Balls, a cookie from my maternal grandmother, Josie. I've mentioned my grandmother many times, and as I've said in the past, she couldn't read or write, with the exception of writing her name. So, in order to record her recipes, you had to watch and write quickly. The original written recipe for Cherry Balls yielded a tasty, but dry cookie. My mother has the original, and I've tweaked it numerous times, although I've yet to achieve what I'm looking for; however, everyone else seems satisfied with my result. In fact, my sister-in-law, Pam, loves them. Personally, it's still not what I want in a Cherry Ball; yes, it is a good cookie, but I know it can be better. With that said, today's recipe is one of the many that resulted from my compulsive need to tweak. This, my friends, is an awesome cookie; no, not a Cherry Ball, but a Cherry Pecan Chew. I love to make it for Christmas, as the pink hue with the lovely bits of maraschino cherries peeking through make a truly pretty cookie. I'm so happy to share one of my favorite Christmas cookies as part of 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, and I hope you give Cherry Pecan Chews a place on your Christmas cookie tray this year!
Cherry Pecan Chews
Printable recipe
- 2
1/2 cups flour
- 1
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2
teaspoon salt
- 1
cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1
1/2 cups sugar
- 1
teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2
teaspoon almond extract
- 1
large egg
- 1/3
cup finely chopped maraschino cherries
- 1
cup toasted and finely chopped pecans
Note: The dough must chill before
baking; preheat oven to 350 degrees when ready to bake.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt
together; set aside.
Beat together butter, sugar,
vanilla, and almond extracts until creamy.
Beat in egg.
Mix in cherries and pecans.
Add flour mixture, mixing until
well-incorporated.
Pat dough into a disk, wrap in
plastic wrap or wax paper, and chill for at least 1 hour, although
overnight is best.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper or spray with non-stick spray.
Using a small cookie scoop, portion
dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 2" apart.
Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until
lightly brown around the edges.
Allow cookies to cool for at least 5
minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Yield: 5 dozen.
