“I’m a fan,” reporter and taste tester Sam Zavada said after he tasted a Cherry Blossom cookie from the Times Leader test kitchen. “The chocolate and the cherries are a great blend of flavors.”
“Would you like another one?” I asked.
“Yeah, actually,” he said. “I knew as soon as you said what they were that I would like them.”
Sports writer Kevin Carroll and Maureen Dessoye from the TL production department each enjoyed their samples as well. “I really like them a lot,” Maureen said. “And they’d look very pretty on a tray.”
Kevin and Maureen agreed with me that the cookies clearly appeared to be red. Oddly enough, in the photos I shot in the kitchen at home, even though I placed them on a light-colored tray for contrast, they looked more brownish than red. But under the fluorescent lights of the newsroom they seemed to have a hue similar to red velvet cake.
If you use white flour the way various food bloggers apparently do, the cookies will probably be more pink, as in cotton candy pink. I used whole-wheat flour, which the recipe I had consulted at chiselandfork.com said was an option “if you want a more nutty flavor.” (Of course, my reason is because I think it’s healthier.)
Back in my neighborhood, my mom said the cookies were a little too sweet for her taste, and Mark seemed unable to make up his mind if he liked the flavor of the almond extract.
In the newsroom, Bill O’Boyle was certain how he felt. “You managed to take something I like (Peanut Butter Blossoms) and make something similar that I really didn’t like that much,” he told me.
Yes, the cookies are the same shape as Peanut Butter Blossoms, which contain peanut butter (these don’t) and they also have a Hershey kiss on top, the way Peanut Butter Blossoms do. The Chisel & Fork blogger recommended Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses. I actually used Hershey’s Cherry Cordial Kisses — so there was cherry filling inside each kiss for extra cherry effect.
CHERRY BLOSSOM COOKIES
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry liquid
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup maraschino cherries, chopped
¼ cup granulated sugar for coating cookies
40 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped and frozen
In bowl of stand mixer, add the butter, sugar and salt and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the maraschino cherry liquid and extracts and beat until incorporated. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Now with a wooden spoon mix in the chopped cherries until just combined. Cover dough and chill for 30 minutes.
Once ready to make, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then dip each ball in sugar until completely coated. Place each ball 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack. Press a Hershey’s kiss into each cookie. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
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