Rebecca Nielsen's Recipe

Drunken Cherrry/Orange Cookies

Category: cookies

Serves/Makes: 60 bite size cookies
Difficulty: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Preheat Oven To 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plump dried cherries rough chopped
1/4 cup cherry liqueur (I use Cherry Pie)
Zest of 2 oranges (naval is best)
Juice of 1 1/2 naval oranges
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1 extra large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 cup hazelnuts chopped
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Put chopped dried cherries in microwave prep bowl and toss with half of the orange zest. Pour in cherry liqueur. Put in microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and return for 30 more seconds. This reconstitutes the cherries very fast. It will be hot. Cover bowl with plate and set aside.

In bowl of mixer cream butter, both sugars and cream cheese until smooth. Add 3 T of the orange juice, mix completely. Then add 4 teaspoons of the liqueur that the cherries are in. Mix well.

Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix to combine. Do not drain the cherries. Add remainder of the bowl of cherries including the rest of liquid. Mix to combine. Add chopped nuts. Mix just to distribute evenly.

Batter will be somewhat sticky and works best when refrigerated covered for about 15 minutes.

Using a one ounce ice cream scooper scoop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets, 20 to a pan. Bake for exactly 12 minutes, turning pan after 6. Leave on pans for 2 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

While cooling make frosting. Mix 2 cups powdered sugar with other half of orange zest and pour rest of orange juice in slowly until desired consistancy. You are looking for more of a glaze than a thick frosting.

When cookies are cooled spoon glaze over cookies spreading with back of spoon. They will set up quickly. When frosting is set store in air tight container or zip top bag. They can be frozen if there are any left. Mine have never made it that far.

Cooks Notes: I really love cherries, fresh or dried. My husband heated up a cordial glass of the Cherry Pie liqueur the other night and it was so good. I immediately thought of soaking some dried cherries in it and the rest is history. Please let me know what you think.