Chocolate-Covered Cherries and Oreo Truffles

While trying to organize some digital pictures I came across this one of candies that I'd made during the holidays: chocolate-covered cherries, oreo "truffles" and some tangerine-flavored hard candy. The hard candy was made using Lor-Ann brand flavoring oil; the recipe can be found on their packaging and on their website.

Chocolate-Covered Cherries (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Note: make these at least a week in advance, to give the centers time to liquify

60 maraschino cherries
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 pound chocolate candy coating (such as Wilton Candy Melts)

Drain cherries; blot with paper towels to dry.

Combine butter & corn syrup until smooth; stir in powdered sugar and knead to form a dough. If necessary, chill dough until firm.

Wrap each cherry in about 1 tsp. of dough, covering cherry completely. Chill or freeze dough-covered cherries.

Melt candy coating in microwave or on stovetop; dip each cherry, covering completely with chocolate. Place coated cherries on waxed paper and chill until set; cherries can be dipped again to seal any leaks. Store airtight in a cool place for one to two weeks.


Oreo Truffles, or Oreo Balls

1 package regular Oreos (not Double-Stuffed)
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
chocolate candy coating (such as Wilton Candy Melts)

Finely crush Oreos (I put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin); mix into cream cheese. If necessary, refrigerate mixture until firm. Roll Oreo mixture into small balls, or if firm enough, cut into bite-sized squares.

Melt candy coating in microwave or on stovetop; dip balls, completely covering them; place on waxed paper and chill until set. Can be dipped again if desired.

Tips: using holiday oreos with colored filling won't give you colorful candies -- the filling will turn black due to the crumbs from the chocolate cookies.

Chocolate Cookie Bark

Continuing on with the cookies I'd made during the holidays ... this chocolate cookie bark is addictive and makes an enormous amount. I'd clipped the recipe out of the Washington Post a couple of years ago but hadn't made it until last fall. It's flat, crisp, VERY chocolatey and really good with a glass of cold milk.

Chocolate Cookie Bark (my adaptation of a recipe from the Washington Post)

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cups (one bag) mini chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Mix melted butter, sugars, water, and vanilla until smooth; add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place one third of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet; spread the dough as thin as the chocolate chips will allow (don't worry if the dough has 'holes' in it). Be sure to leave a 3" margin on all sides of the cookie sheet -- the dough will spread a lot as it bakes! Repeat with remaining dough on additional cookie sheets.

Bake one sheet at a time, at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until the top looks dull (not shiny) and is evenly firm at the edges and center. Remove from oven & slide cookie (still on parchment) onto a wire rack to cool; cookie will be soft but will crisp as it cools. When crisp, remove from parchment and place on paper towels to absorb any butter residue. Break into pieces.

Tip: I find it easiest to 'spread' the dough by topping it with a piece of waxed paper and using a rolling pin to press it out flat.

Currant Gingersnaps

I think these gingersnaps have just the right mix of spices: not too little, but not too much either. They're slightly crispy but not hard. Currants taste just like raisins but are smaller; if you don't have any and don't want to buy a box of them, you can substitute raisins (chop them up a bit in a food processor if you want smaller pieces).

I've had this recipe at least 20 years and don't remember where it came from.

Currant Gingersnaps
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2-1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (I use much less than this amount)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1-1/2 cups currants
additional sugar, if desired

Cream shortening and sugar; beat in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients; stir to combine. Stir in currants. Chill dough 30 minutes.

Shape dough into small balls; if desired, roll in additional sugar. Bake on lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheets, 8-1o minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about 80 small cookies.

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies

I haven't yet found a recipe for thumbprint cookies that really wows me, but I do like this one well enough. The photo is from a platter of cookies that I'd taken to a holiday party. Any flavor of jelly, jam, or preserves can be used; raspberry and apricot are two of my favorites, but for these cookies I made them 'tropical' or 'Hawaiian' by using pineapple preserves and sprinkling them with toasted coconut before putting them into the oven. To keep my fingertips clean I use a thimble to make the thumbprint indentation, and to save time I put the jam into a pastry bag and pipe it onto the cookie (if you do this and use preserves of any kind, be sure to use a tip large enough for the pieces of fruit to pass through and maybe even pulse the preserves in a food processor to chop the fruit up a bit).

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup jam or jelly, any flavor

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla together; gradually add flour. If dough is too soft to handle, place in refrigerator 30 minutes or longer. Roll dough into nickel-sized balls; place on cookie sheets and using your fingertip, press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Fill indentations with jam. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on bottom; cool on wire racks. Makes about 100 small cookies.

Options: Can roll balls of dough in sugar or finely-chopped nuts before placing on cookie sheets, or dust cookies with powdered sugar after baking.