Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! I flew home for Christmas on Friday and have been baking some more. Instead of creating three separate posts for each cookie, I decided to combine combine them into one post.

Cherry Delights

I've been eating these cookies ever since I was a kid. My mom baked these every year and I remember helping her out by sticking the cherry in the middle of each cookie. These cookies are chewy, slightly sweet, and the cherry adds that extra pop of flavor that make these cookies addicting. 

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 eggs, divided

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups nuts, finely chopped

Maraschino cherries, halved

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in light corn syrup and egg yolks; mix well. Mix in flour. Chill. Roll into 1 inch balls. Dip into slightly beaten egg whites and roll in chopped nuts. Place on greased cookie sheets. Press candied cherry halves into centers. Bake in 325 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

Orange Toffee Almond Sandies

(Source: Paula Deen)

I baked some sandies earlier this year that were absolutely delicious. These sandies are almost identical to those, except these have orange zest in the dough. I absolutely love anything that is flavored with orange around the holidays, so I gave these sandies a try and was not disappointed. 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons orange zest

2 cups sliced almonds

2 cups English toffee bits

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, add the butter, oil and the sugars. Using a hand-held mixer, beat until combined. Beat in the extracts. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in orange zest, almonds and toffee bits. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2-inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Caramel Pecan Sticky Bun Cookies

(Source: Recipe Girl)

I'm addicted to sticky buns, so when I saw the recipe for these sticky bun cookies, I had to bake them for the holiday cookie tray. The dough is very similar to the Cherry Delights, but the center of the cookie is filled with a sticky pecan mixture. Needless to say, I several of these suckers in my mouth as soon as they came out of the oven. I'm sure these will be in my regular cookie rotation for years to come. 

COOKIES:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

2 large egg yolks

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1 large egg white, slightly beaten

In large bowl, beat 1 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup corn syrup and egg yolks; blend well. Stir in flour; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap- refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling. In small saucepan, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tablespoons corn syrup; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line w/ parchment or silpat mats. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush tops of partially baked cookies lightly with egg white. With small spoon, carefully scoop about 3/4 tsp. of the filling in the center of each cookie; pressing down slightly. Return to the oven and bake an additional 6-9 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes and then remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.