Homemade PINK cookies-- just in time for Valentine's Day!!!
I LOVE the Maraschino Cherry and Almond flavors together in this delicious cookie!
The chopped cherries, toasted almonds and white chocolate chips gives them a nice chunky texture!
Cherry Almond Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp. Maraschino Cherry liquid
1/2 tsp. Pure Almond Extract
2 1/2 cups Un-Bleached All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. jar (about 3/4 cup whole cherries) Maraschino Cherries, coarsely chopped
1 cup White Baking Chips, divided
1 cup blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Strain the cherries (SAVING THE LIQUID!!) and coarsely chop. (I put them into my mini food processor and pulsed a few times--worked perfectly!!)
In mixer bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid and almond extract until well blended.
Slowly add flour and salt, mixing until combined.
Add cherries, 1/2 cup white chips and the toasted almonds.
Use your small cookie scoop to get even portions (and great texture!) and place on an un-greased baking sheet at least 1 1/2" apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
When cookies are cool, melt the remaining white chips in a small bowl in the microwave. Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate lightly over the cookies.
I got about 28 cookies out of this recipe. If you want more you can use your hands (instead of a scoop) to make smaller round balls of dough. Just be sure to watch the bake time--might only need 8-10 minutes.
ENJOY!
Who would guess that it is this EASY to make cheese crackers (PRESERVATIVE FREE) at home? And, FAST too!
I made this batch of cheese crackers with gluten free flour--but, if you don't need GF...swap unbleached all-purpose flour!!
They are delicious!!! Cheesy, crunchy, and get a tiny zing (like store cheez-its) from the red pepper flakes. But, don't worry--they're NOT spicy!
HOMEMADE CHEESE CRACKERS
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese (get a block of GOOD cheese and shred it yourself--pre-shredded cheese has preservatives in it!!)
1/4 cup salted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup "cup4cup" Gluten Free flour (or same amount of un-bleached all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (crushed fine!)
1 tbsp. milk
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Put cheese, butter, flour, salt, and crushed red pepper into your food processor or blender (I used my Blendtec blender) and pulse until you have chunky, course crumbs.
Add the milk and pulse until the dough comes together.
Flour your surface and roll the dough out to about 1/8" thickness. (It might seem a bit dry--that's ok!)
Use a pizza cutter (or knife) to cut the dough into small squares, place the squares on a baking sheet leaving a small space between pieces. (I used a spatula to gently remove them from the countertop.)
Use a toothpick or a skewer to make a hole in the center of each piece.
Bake approximately 12-15 minutes until the crackers are lightly browned.
Remove to a wire rack to cool. (They get crunchy when they're cool!)
Enjoy!!!
**I bet Super Sharp Cheddar or even Parmesan cheese would be good in these too! If you try a different cheese be sure to let me know how they turn out!!!
