Fayes Cherry Bells Recipes

CHERRY BELL COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together: 3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee. Put aside.
• Cream 1 cup butter or margarine. Add 1 1/4 cups brown sugar. Cream well. Blend in dark corn syrup, egg, and cream. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Roll out dough, 1/3 at a time on floured board to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut cookies into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• To Make Filling: Combine 1/3 firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 tablespoons cherry juice. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, chopped fine.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in center of each round. Shape into a bell by folding sides of dough to meet over the filling using spatula to fold over sides. Make top of bell narrower than at the clapper end. Place 1/2 of a maraschino cherry (cut side down) at open end of each bell for clapper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

MRS. B'S CHRISTMAS BELLS

Steps:

• Make the Dough: Beat the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the corn syrup, egg, cream, and lemon zest. Whisk together the flour, instant espresso, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; gradually add to the butter mixture, and beat at low speed until combined. Shape the dough into a flat disk; wrap with plastic wrap. Chill the dough until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the Filling: Stir together the brown sugar, maraschino cherry juice and butter until blended; stir in the pecans.
• Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Place the dough circles 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dough circle. Shape into a cone by folding the edges of the dough to meet over the filling; pinch the edges together. Place 1 cherry half at the opening end of each bell for the clapper.
• Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool on the pans for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

SPICED CHERRY BELLS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in corn syrup, egg and cream. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2-4 hours or overnight. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , In a bowl, combine the first three filling ingredients; mix well. Stir in pecans. Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie. Shape into a cone by folding edges of dough to meet over filling; pinch edges together. Place a piece of cherry at open end of each bell for clapper. , Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

MARY'S BELL COOKIES

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Stir together brown sugar, butter, and 3 tablespoons cherry juice until combined, then stir in pecans. Set cherries aside.
• Make cookies:
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, and coffee.
• Beat together brown sugar and shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add corn syrup, egg, and cream and beat until combined well.
• Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, then mix until combined.
• Roll out one third of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thick (about 15 by 11 inches). Chill dough on wax paper on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutter and transfer with a metal spatula to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Roll out, chill, and cut remaining dough in same manner. Reserve scraps.
• Center 1/2 teaspoon nut filling on lower half of each cookie, then, using spatula, fold sides in toward center to form a cone. (Dough may crack along fold; part of filling will be exposed.)
• Stem and quarter cherries. Place 1 cherry quarter over exposed filling on each cookie to make bell clapper.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 12 to 16 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Reroll scraps, then make more cookies in same manner (reroll only twice), baking them on cooled sheets.