Cherry Chip Cookies

Susie’s Cherry Chip Cookies

My friend, Susie Mauzy, shared this recipe and I tried to make it after she passed away only to find cherry chips were practically non-existent!  After substituting candied cherries and chocolate chips in my 2011 version, I lamented that I couldn’t even order cherry chips online and her husband told me that SuperTarget carries the cherry chips around Christmas time.

Original recipe

  • 2-1/4 cup flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3/4 cup Corn flake crumbs
  • 1 package Log Cabin cherry-flavored baking chips (pink, no chocolate)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup additional white sugar for coating

First cream the butter, sugar, egg and almond extract, then add flour salt, and mix in the cornflakes and cherry chips.  Roll into balls and roll in additional sugar, flatten with fork.  Bake at 375° F for 12-15 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.

 

Carlyn’s Chocolate-Cherry Chip Cookies

  • 2-1/4 cup flour
  • dash of salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup crushed Special K red berries cereal (remove the largest dried strawberry slices then crush remaining cereal)
  • 8 oz candied cherries, coarsely chopped
  • 1 or 2 cups milk chocolate chips (11 oz package = 2 cups), depends on how chocolate-y you want your cookies

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Using a mix master or a hand mixer with a high speed, cream the soft butter and add in 1/2 cup sugar, salt and egg.  Combine until butter is grainy.  Sift the flour to add lightness to the cookie dough, then gently fold in the crushed cereal.  Add the flour and cereal to the mixer bowl and mix on slow or medium speed.  Add in the candied cherries and chocolate chips and mix on low for 1 minute.

Using clean vinyl or latex gloves on your hands, shape the cookies into balls about the size of a whole pecan or walnut.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 12 minutes.  If the cookies are not at all brown, bake them 3 minutes more and then remove.  Cool cookie sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes then use spatula to remove cookies and continue cooling the cookies on the wire racks until cool enough to handle with fingers.  Transfer to a flat surface covered with old newspapers topped by a layer of paper towels or waxed paper to complete the cooling process (you need the wire rack for the next batch of cookies). Store in an air tight container, but don’t seal the container until all the heat is gone from the cookies or they will stick together.

Makes about 48 small cookies.