Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-44220881-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);

(function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

A Perfect Valentine

“Come here, Kate said, and while the girl waited beside the desk Kate slowly addressed the envelope and stamped it. I want you to run a little errand for me, she said. Go to Bell’s candy store and get a five-pound box of mixed chocolates and a one-pound box. The big one is for you girls.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

For a little sweetness on Valentine’s Day I have the perfect cookie. Sour cherries, almond and lemon are nestled in an ethereal cream cheese cookie. Flaunting an alluring Bing cherry this cookie surpasses the swagger of the overly sweet candy of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day falls on Friday this year. After a busy week it can be challenging to find time to make a sweet treat for the holiday. These cookies are the perfect solution. The cookie dough only takes a few minutes to make and can easily be kept in the refrigerator for several days before baking. Shaping the cookies is as easy as scooping the dough, forming it into a round shape and then adding the elegant cherry on top. The cookies bake quickly and very soon a sweet valentine dessert will be ready to share.

Essentials

The regal Bing cherries are just sweet enough to contrast the sour dried cherries nestled in the buttery soft cookie. Don’t omit the lemon zest or almond extract as they add depth to the exquisite flavor of these cookies. Maraschino cherries can be used and the cookies will have the traditional red of Valentine’s Day but I prefer the dusky red and early summer flavor of the Bing cherry. I used these Bing cherries, as this is what I found at my local grocery store. These cherries are preserved without food coloring and still have their stems attached. Whatever cherries are used, drain them well before placing them in the cookies.

The Cherry Cream Cheese Cookie recipe is adapted from Cottage Cheese Cookies in The Gourmet Cookie Book. I just added this sweet book to my collection after placing a winning bid on The Wednesday’s Chef’s cookbook auction to raise funds for the Invisible Child Trust.

1. In a medium size bowl sift or shake through a large sieve the flour, baking power and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, cream cheese and sugar and mix until throughly combined. Add the egg, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extracts and mix again to combine. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl. When throughly incorporated add the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together and then remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Fold in the chopped cherries. Chill the dough until it is stiff before baking.
3. Heat the oven to 350°. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Scoop the cookies in uniform amounts by using an ice cream scoop or measuring spoon. I used a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll the cookie dough into round balls and space them two inches apart on the sheet pan. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie and place a cherry in the indentation with the stem facing upward. Bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven and quickly reposition any cherries that have slumped over. Finish baking the cookies for 2-5 more minutes, just until the bottom edges of the cookies begin to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes and remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.