It's the Most Wonderful Time...of the YEAR!!!
And of course that means that it is time to warm up our ovens and get baking. Christmas cookies may be one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I think it might be the sweet aromas that fill the house when you are baking cookies. It simply makes me feel good and of course they taste so incredible.
I have enjoyed over the past few years partaking in cookies exchanges. It makes it much easier to complete the task of baking dozen and dozens and DOZENS of differently holiday treats. I love only having to concentrate on baking one kind of cookie and then coming home with dozens of different kinds of homemade sweets that I am able to enjoy throughout the season.
Last season I made only one cookie and that was my Pistachio Thumbprints which are so delicious. This year I have decided to go with a cookie that is so simple to make and really lets each ingredients shine through.
These white chocolate, coconut and cherry cookies (that I have named my Chococherry cookies) are very "holiday" like and they taste just incredible. You immediately bite into the cookie and have the essence of coconut but then you taste the sweetness of the cherry and the warmth of the white chocolate. I had to hold off on "trying" more than two before starting to put together the bags for this years cookie exchange.
This year it was no easy task to make sure I had 15 dozen cookies (14 wrapped individually and 1 to share the day of the cookie exchange. I thought it was going to be so difficult to make enough dough but each batch came together so quickly that I probably could have made 30 dozen.
I refrigerated my dough overnight before baking. I think the cold dough helps the cookies bake more evenly and not spread too much. Everyone I feel has their own tricks of the trade for the perfect cookie but refrigerating the dough is definitely something I always do.
No matter what you do I hope your Christmas cookies taste and look delicious. I can not wait for tomorrow to see what everyone else made. And of course I am more excited about tasting all of the delicious holiday treats.
Of course there was no need for me to create a playlist because you all know that I am listening to Christmas tunes as I bake all day. I hope you play your favorite holiday albums while you sing along in your kitchens.
Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!!!
Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Bob's Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut
2 eggs
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cherries
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix together the brown and granulated sugar. Add in the butter and cream together until a light paste forms.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in one egg and the vanilla. Beat for about 1 minute and then add in the second egg. Beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
Mix together the flour, coconut, salt and baking soda. Add the dry mixture into the sugar mixture about a third at a time until it just comes together.
Finally, fold in the white chocolate and the dried cherries.
Scoop dough into heaping tablespoon sized balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned and the center does not look gooey.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
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