Italian Cherry Cookies Recipes

CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 375 and grease well cookie sheets.
• Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, salt and flour.
• Will be stiff.
• Stir in chopped cherries.
• Form into balls and place on sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 15 minutes, DO NOT LET BROWN.

CHERRY ALMOND COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar and mix until everything is creamed together. Add in the egg, salt, almond extract, and vanilla extract and continue to mix until well combined.
• Slowly add the flour into the wet mixture and mix until smooth.
• Cover the bowl and chill for several hours.
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop 1-inch balls and roll them into balls. Place the dough onto your cookie sheet and press a small well into the tops of them with your thumb.
• Grab a maraschino cherry and gently squeeze it in a paper towel, to make sure it's not wet, and place it into the well of your cookie.
• *Note - If the cherries are still wet they will leave red stains around the top of your cookies.
• Bake for about 12 minutes and cool completely on a cooling rack.
• Once all of the cookies are baked and cooled, place the white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate for 20 seconds, stir and then microwave 5-7 seconds at a time until the chocolate is all melted. Pour the melted chocolate into a baggie, snip the end just very slightly and drizzle the chocolate all over your cookies. Let the cookies sit for a few minutes so the chocolate can set.

ITALIAN BUTTER COOKIES 1952

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixer bowl, cream lightly the butter and sugar until really fluffy and pale, about three minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
• At low speed add the combined dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
• Do not overmix.
• Place into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe onto prepared parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing two inches apart.
• If dough is too thick to pipe, pour in a few tablespoons of milk.
• If you make wreath or stars, you can add a cherry as decoration now before baking.
• Or you could just roll into small bals and flatten with a fork if desired.
• Bake for 10 to 14 minutes just until the bottoms and edges begin to turn golden brown.
• Remove from pans by sliding thw whole piece of parchment onto a large wire rack, and cool completely.
• Dip fingers or one side of each into melted chocolate and sprinkles if desired.
• Sandwich with raspberry jam also if desired, dip in melted white chocolate and crushed almonds.
• Leave plain also.
• Store in an airtight container.

ITALIAN COOKIES WITH ANISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar for dough together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and anise extract and blend. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl; stir into butter mixture until blended.
• Take a ping pong-sized ball of dough and roll between your hands to form a rope. Connect the ends and twist into a figure 8 shape. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix milk into confectioners' sugar for icing, stirring slowly. Add the anise extract and vanilla extract.
• Dip cooled cookies into the icing face-down and lay on wax paper or a wire rack.

ITALIAN ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets, then line with parchment paper.
• In food processor, combine 2 1/4 cups almonds and 1/3 cup sugar. Process until finely ground, scraping down sides once or twice. Set aside.
• In electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Return speed to high and beat mixture until stiff, shiny peaks form. Gently fold in ground almond mixture and almond and vanilla extracts.
• Roll mixture into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and flatten slightly. Top each with glacéed cherry or almond. Bake until cookies are golden, switching positions of pans halfway through, about 25 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Cookies keep, wrapped, several days, or frozen, several weeks. Recrisp in warm oven.