White Chocolate Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Series
You made it! You're here, at the grand finale of our holiday baking extravaganza. I've spent entirely too much time in the kitchen during the past week and a half, eating my weight in butter.
Do you know that in order to produce the twelve days of Christmas cookies it takes 10-15 pounds of butter, 20 pounds of various types of chocolate, 10 pounds of sugar and 25 pounds of flour?
My freezer is stuffed to the gills with ziplocs full of frosting, sprinkled confection. But soon, I'll be assembling all those cookies into baskets of abundance, gifts of handmade love for friends and family. And every minute of time will be worth it if it brings even a little sweetness and joy into their lives.
Our final baking endeavor is a beauty and one of my son's favorites. Cherries are drained, diced and mixed into a heavily almond flavored shortbread. The original recipe called for maraschino cherries but I'm sorry, people. Those are NOT cherries. So deviate we shall. The dough is then pressed into small discs by the bottom of a sugared glass, then baked and dipped into white chocolate and sprinkles.
They emerge from their preparations looking like little sugar plum fairies, adorned for the festivities.
Playfully embellished, soft and rich, these cookies have been a highlight of our seasonal boxes for years.
I dug this recipe up from one of my favorite food blogs, The Girl Who Ate Everything. Christy is a self proclaimed foodie and her site is full of tantalizing, traditional recipes that will appeal to everyone. This particular cookie also comes from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, where it was a contest winner. You'll understand why the moment you pop one of these nuggets of gladness into your mouth. Here are a few of my notes on the recipe:
1. This recipe tells you to use jars of preserved cherries and reserve the juice, but then never re incorporates it into the dough. That's a mistake and I've rectified it in my version below. Use the extra juice as needed to moisten the dough in the final stages of mixing if it is too crumbly. You may not need it.
2. I make these a bit smaller than the recipe calls for. When pressed, they are about the size of a half dollar. Because these are a cookie crammed with white chocolate and sprinkles, they can be a bit much in big doses for even the most hardened sugarholic. Shorten your baking time to about 8-10 minutes.
3. I'll echo earlier notes from other recipes about white chocolate. Use the real stuff. None of this "white" baking chips. Those don't have even a little actual chocolate. I used Ghirardelli's white chocolate baking bars but be careful with this brand- their white chips don't contain real chocolate either.
Gather round, kids. It's time to make the softest, most intensely flavored shortbread you've ever eaten.
Don't forget to save that cherry juice. You might need it later is this dough is crumbly instead of dense.
Keep these small. Your waistline will thank you next year.
I adore using this antique glass we have that creates a pattern like a sunburst on the surface of these gems. Must be the vintage vibe. Gets me every time.
Dip and roll. Dip and roll. That'll be your mantra for a bit. And every inch of that white chocolate makes it worth it.
Thanks friends for coming along on this incredible, sugary journey through my wonderland of cookies. We'll be taking a short hiatus for the holidays and be back next year with some fantastic recipes and drool-worthy photos to keep you inspired in the kitchen. Until then, keep it sweet and thanks for the support. Mwah!
White Chocolate Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients: (Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)
1/2 cup cherries, drained and finely chopped (reserve 2 Tablespoons of liquid from cherries)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter
12 ounces white chocolate baking squares, finely chopped
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 drops red food coloring
2 teaspoons shortening
White nonpareils, sprinkles, and/or red edible glitter (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well reserving 2 Tablespoons of cherry liquid for later.
In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender (or 2 forks), cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. You could also use a food processor here or use your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Stir in drained and chopped cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped white chocolate. Stir in the 2 Tablespoons reserved cherry liquid, almond extract, and food coloring. Mixture will be very dry and look like crumbs. Don't worry. That's normal. Using your hands, knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball. If the dough is dry or too crumbly, add reserved cherry juice.
Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Do not overbake! Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. You could also do this in the microwave, melting in 30 second intervals stirring in between. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in sprinkles and/or edible glitter.