For as long as I can remember, every year someone, sometimes several someones, would give my Grandpa Smith a box of Queen Anne cherry cordials for Christmas. And if I was lucky, Grandpa would share one of his cordials with me.
I was too young to get a nip of whiskey (his other annual gift), and we all got to enjoy handmade Christmas tamales. But only the lucky ones (and by lucky ones I mean any grandchild small enough to sidle up next to his recliner and smile at him when he opened the box) would get a cherry.
Several years ago I started making cherry cordials. The recipe isn't difficult, but it requires a good bit of patience, as the candies need to "cure" for at least a week before eating if you want that luscious liquefied center.
I recently discovered a way to incorporate the flavor into my favorite cookie. Nestle Toll House DelightFulls are dark chocolate morsels filled with a cherry-flavored filling reminiscent of a cherry cordial. And the best part is they're ready to enjoy just minutes out of the oven.
Cherry Cordial Chip Cookies
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 scant tablespoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
1 egg
13/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cherry-flavored filled chocolate morsels such as Toll House DelightFulls
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and sugar with an electric mixer on low speed until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg and beat until well blended.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda and mix well. Add flour mixture to shortening mixture, and mix until just combined.
Stir in cherry-filled and semisweet chocolate chips.
Drop by heaping tablespoons, 2 to 3 inches apart, on prepared baking sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Cool on pans for several minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Chocolate-Covered Cherries
About 50 maraschino cherries with stems (2 10-ounce jars)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar PLUS more as needed
About 1 pound semisweet OR milk chocolate OR 2 (7-ounce) packages dipping chocolate
Drain cherries and place in a single layer on paper towels to dry.
In a medium bowl, combine butter, corn syrup and vanilla extract; blend until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and knead to form a "dough." Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in just enough sugar dough to cover (about half a teaspoon) and place on parchment or wax paper. Chill until firm.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat or in microwave according to package directions, stirring until smooth. Dip each cherry, holding it by its stem, in chocolate, and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Chill until set. Store in an air-tight container in a cool place.
For best results, let candies "cure" for one to 2 weeks before eating. This allows the sugar dough wrapped around each cherry to liquefy. But they can be eaten as soon as chocolate is set.
Makes about 50 chocolate-covered cherries.
Food on 12/10/2014