Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies

Christmas is coming up quick! And I said I was going to share with you my grandma's almond, cream cheese, and candied cherry cookies, and I am! These are my favorite cookies on the entire planet. I'm not exaggerating. They're these sweet little cherry-cream-cheesy-almond-y cookies with an incredible cream cheese icing, topped with a maraschino cherry. Mm mm. Could I get a lifetime supply of these cookies? Please and thank you.

Every year, my grandmother would send everyone in my family home with a big bag of cookies, fudge, and bars. Her cherry cream cheese cookies were the first ones gone. When she stopped making these cookies a few years back, my heart broke. Okay, now I'm exaggerating, but I was pretty sad about it! It wasn't until this year that she told me they were cookies from a mix in a box... Cookies from a mix in a box that are no longer sold. So, I made it my goal to figure out how to make the same cookies from scratch this year.

Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies
Author: Herbivore Haven
Makes: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup candied cherries, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup  butter, softened
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 36 maraschino cherries (for topping)
• 1/2 cup candied cherries, finely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the maraschino cherries on paper towels to drain while preparing cookies. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and cream cheese. Mix by hand or with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar, almond extract, and salt to the mixture. Mix until the ingredients are combined. Mix in 1 1/4 cup of the flour until just combined. Add the candied cherries and the remaining flour and continue mixing until well combined.
3. Lightly flour a work surface. Form the dough into a large ball. The dough make look crumbly, but once you work with it, it will stick together. Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a circle cookie cutter, or the open end of a glass, and cut out circles in the dough. Place each cookie on the prepared cookie sheet about 1/2 an inch apart.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until bottoms are light brown. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Mix until creamy. Gradually mix in the 2 cups of powdered sugar. Mix in the milk. For a thicker consistency, mix in more powdered sugar as desired.
6. Top each cookie with a dollop of the frosting and a single maraschino cherry. Enjoy!

To store: Layer unfrosted cookies between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw cookies, if frozen. Frost and top cookies with maraschino cherries.

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Five Minute Fudge

Growing up, one of my favorite things about Christmas time was the fudge my grandmother would always have. She also made these delicious almond, cream cheese and candied cherry cookies, (which I will be sharing with you very, very soon!) This year, I thought I would try out a few different recipes for fudge, so that I could share them with her. The first batch, I did a classic five minute fudge.

The fudge turned out wonderfully creamy and chocolaty, and was incredibly easy to make! I doubled the batch and made fudge with walnuts, and some without!

With five minute fudge, you can heat up the ingredients in the microwave, or on the stove-top. Either way it takes about 5 minutes and comes out delicious!

Five Minute Fudge
Author: Herbivore Haven

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk (about half of a 12 oz. can)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
On the stove-top:

1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with waxed paper, set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to boil and stir constantly. Boil 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips, vanilla and nuts (if desired) and mix until the chocolate is melted.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until set for at least 4 hours or over night. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

In the microwave:

1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with waxed paper, set aside.
2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and butter. Microwave in one-minute increments until melted, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix until all of the chocolate chips are melted, then add the vanilla and salt. Stir until the mixture is well blended and smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until set for at least 4 hours or over night. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

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Eggnog Cookies

Happy Friday! My brother and I are both going to be home for Christmas, which means we're doing the 'nog. Eggnog cookies, that is.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of eggnog, but my brother loves it. Every year for Christmas, I get him a huge jug of eggnog and a bottle of bourbon, but this year, I thought I'd add a little something different and make him a big batch of eggnog cookies too. Although I don't really like eggnog, I loved these cookies. They smelled so lovely, I couldn't resist.

Soft, fluffy, sweet, eggnog-y cookies with a light, creamy eggnog icing? Who could resist?

Eggnog Cookies
Author: Herbivore Haven, Adapted from Mrs. Fields Cookie Book
Makes: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup eggnog

Eggnog Icing:

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons eggnog
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the mixture and beat until smooth. Add eggnog and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture into the eggnog mixture and stir until well combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
5. Make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and eggnog together. Add more sugar or eggnog, depending on the consistency you prefer.
6. Drizzle the icing on cooled cookies and sprinkle with nutmeg. Store in a air tight container in the refrigerator.

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